Wild Flower Barn - 07932 683245

The Wild Flower Barn is a private nature conservation plot where I grow local origin wild flower plants and study/photo local wildlife.

This sloping 5.5 acre conservation plot overlooks the Pevensey Levels, Hailsham and the South Downs to the west and southwest. The agricultural barn was converted into a plant-growing area in 1995 when wild flower banks and a small wildlife pond were also added. The conservation workshop/storage base was built on to the northern end of the barn in 2005/2006. The former grazing meadow has been allowed to regenerate naturally with extensive bramble and nettle patches for the abundant wildlife. Young oak trees are also regenerating naturally and various wildlife-friendly native shrubs/trees such as hawthorn, blackthorn, buckthorn, birch and sallow have been added.

VISITORS: Wild flower plants for sale seasonally when open ..... plus advice on wildlife gardening, wild flower meadow creation/enhancement and wildlife and nature conservation. Customers/visitors welcome by prior arrangement (email/phone to check availability).

PLANTS: There's quite a range of native plants for sale here - mostly familiar perennial species grown from local provenance (hand-collected) wild flower seed. These potted plants start off as single species but soon turn to 'meadow pots' as other species (and even one or two native grasses) germinate in the pot too. Rather than weed out these unwanted seedlings, I keep them all together and just pot them on. Don't expect neat rows of meticulously labelled 'nursery' type plants though. Everything is growing pretty randomly, some plants even directly out of the plant-bench shingle. It looks chaotic but the plant-benches are in fact mini-habitats for various invertebrates. One or two of the meadow pots would keep even a field botanist head-scratching for half an hour or so.

WILDLIFE: The Wild Flower Barn is home to many species of native wild flowers, birds, mammals, amphibians, butterflies & moths, dragonflies and various other invertebrates. Since 2009, 92 species of bird have been recorded here including 46 species in one day in November 2014. It's also an excellent plot for moths with 105 species recorded in one night in July 2009. Since then I've recorded 305 moth species in one year (2013) and have discovered more new sightings in 2014/15. 28 butterfly species have been recorded here to date along with 13 species of dragonfly & damselfly, the latter just in the last few springs/summers. The plot is also a hoverfly hotspot and a wide range of species have been photo'd and identified here in 2014/2015. Mammals seen on site include foxes, badgers, weasels, various voles, shrews and wood mice, rabbits, grey squirrels and bats (brown long-eared, noctule & both common and soprano pipistrelles) plus the occasional hedgehog.

LOCAL AREA: The Wild Flower Barn is in walking distance of Herstmonceux Church and the grounds of Herstmonceux Castle. Pevensey Levels (a nationally important RAMSAR site) is also only a few hundred metres away with various footpaths, bridleways and minor roads providing access. The Levels are an excellent wetland wildlife habitat with many water-filled drainage ditches surrounding the damp meadows. It's a wonderful area to see a wide range of wildlife, particularly birds and butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, hoverflies and many other wetland invertrebates and amphibians. Mammals seen throughout the year include hares, badgers, foxes, bats, voles and shrews.

ADVICE: Wildlife advice available if walking in or looking for wildlife in the local area .... Hastings or Eastbourne 1:25000 OS maps strongly recommended.

Tags: Environmental Conservation Organization