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Leaflets

During the last 50 years approximately 90% of all wildflower meadows have disappeared and of the remaining 10% 1 in 5 are threatened with extinction. Along with the disappearance of the wildflower meadows, the number of butterflies and other insects on which our very existence is dependant have declined along with their source of food and habitat.

The last time Coppice Field, the field between Coppice Car Park and Coppice Brook, was managed in any way was about 1985, when Manor Farm used it to graze their cows on. Since then the field has been totally neglected . As a result the grass has grown long, rank and full of tussocks. Very few people venture now into the field because it is so difficult to walk in the field. Apart from the tussocks of grass, there are also a number of potholes that one can easily tread in, and risk straining or breaking an ankle.

In the 1980s and 90s a Kestrel could regularly be seen hovering over the field looking for prey. The Crows controlled the Parks Pigeon population using the field as a killing ground.

Today, the Kestrel can only occasionally be seen sitting on the overhead power cables, scanning the short grass between the path to Coppice Brook and old peoples homes on the site of Manor Farm. Pickings are not too good as his presence is very intermittent. The Crows once a regular visitor to the Parks are not seen nearly so often. Consequently the pigeon population has increased and spread to other parts of the Parks.

To improve the situation, the Friends of Belper Parks, with the help of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Groundwork and a local farmer have changed Coppice Field into a wildflower meadow. This will be a four or five year project. In Autumn 2006, we prepared a number of plots in different ways to see which wildflower planting method is most successful. In the Summers of 2007 and 2008 we carried out surveys of the wildflowers. In Autumn 2007 we prepared and sowed the eastern end of the field, and assessed the progress in the summer of 2008. We had intended to sow the second part in the Autumn of 2008, but due to very inclement weather had to put this off until the Spring of 2008. Floral surveys have been carried out by the Friends in July 2009 and 2011 plus DWT in July 2010. We are actively progressing the completion of third part of Coppice Field.

The result of all this activity is that there are now more bees and butterflies in the Parks, both in quantity and species. This will, in time, attract other animals back to the Parks as there is a ready source of food.