Paulton
Nature Reserve
Paulton
Nature Reserve is a small reserve owned by Paulton Parish
Council and situated in a corner of the playing field at the
top of Tennis Court Road. It was once part of a hay field,
sometimes grazed by cattle and horses. When the nearby Bowls
Club levelled their green in the early 1990s, the limestone
and clay spoil was dumped here. CVWG took over the site to
create and manage as a nature reserve. The heap was shaped
and the south side seeded with a wild-flower mixture. Besides
the many moon daisies which flower here, other species such
as bedstraw, knapweed mallow and milfoil have survived, attracting
butterflies, moths and bees. Trees and shrubs were also planted,
including hazel, oak, blackthorn, cherry and wayfaring trees.
Our
management work on the reserve includes keeping nettles and
bindweed under control to assist the colonisation of more
flowering plants, keeping hedges trimmed and the paths mown.
The hazel will be coppiced in rotation to enhance the habitat
for birds and small mammals. A few years after cutting, the
hazel coppice may becomes dense enough to attract nesting
birds, whilst the more mature trees will produce hazelnuts,
a source of food for wood mice and voles.
|
