A rare floodplain meadow is to be restored into a wildflower-rich habitat after it was donated to a conservation charity.<\/p>\n
White Mills Meadow is on the banks of the River Nene at Earls Barton, near Northampton, and it was given to the trust by the Thompson family.<\/p>\n
The six hectare (15-acre) site will become the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire’s 34th reserve in Northamptonshire.<\/p>\n
Conservation manager Matt Johnson said these meadows were “one of the rarest habitats in England” with “only around 2,000 hectares (4,242 acres) remaining”.<\/p>\n
“We’d like to say a big thank you to the Thompson family \u2013 we are very grateful for their generosity and for entrusting us with the care of this land,” Johnson said.<\/p>\n
“We will now restore it by reintroducing hay cuts and conservation grazing livestock will be brought on site to help manage it.”<\/p>\n
Floodplain meadows were once a traditional part of the countryside, providing food for grazing animals and storing rain water in the winter.<\/p>\n
They also produce nectar-rich native flowers, which can support hundreds of species of insects.<\/p>\n