Managing wet grassland for orchids

Discussion Forum

Managing wet grassland for orchids

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Gallinago 07 Jun 2010, 10:57 AM
I recently visited a HLS site on the Upper Thames in Oxfordshire and was pleased to find early marsh orchid present in quite good numbers. Previous surveys have also found southern marsh orchid along with a variety of other botanical interest.

Does anyone here have experience of managing grassland sites for these orchids. I am interested in any thoughts on cutting dates, as I would expect sites to be managed as hay meadows with aftermath grazing by cattle. The landowner is considering cutting at the end of June, which I feel is too early.

Re: Managing wet grassland for orchids

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richardwinspear 24 Jun 2010, 10:10 AM
I would check with the Hampshire Wildlife Trust, who manage some sites with southern Marsh Orchid, notably the Lower Test Nature Reserve