WEST VIEW, CLOONFAD COUNTY ROSCOMMON Prepared by: Giorria Environmental Services July 2020 1 INTRODUCTION In the following report management recommendations are made to help your organisation make small changes to the way you manage your area for biodiversity. By making one or two small changes in the way we manage our green areas can make a huge difference for nature and wildlife. Some changes, like reducing frequency of mowing, can not only add to the biodiversity in your area but can also make life easier for volunteers by reducing workload. Changes can also lead to cost savings over the long-term. For example, instead of spending money every year buying annuals, an investment can be made creating a bed of pollinator-friendly perennials which will last many years. The One Change for Biodiversity Project has by organised by the Heritage Office in Roscommon County Council. The project is funded by the Department of Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht under the National Biodiversity Action Plan. Let everyone know the great work you are doing for pollinators and biodiversity. The Roscommon County Council Heritage Office (email [email protected]) would love to hear how you get on with your ‘One Change for Biodiversity’. If your group is on social media share your progress using the hastags #lovenature #roscommonheritage #inthistogether and tag @RoscommonCountyCouncil and @RoscommonHeritageNewsandInformation on your posts so we know how you are getting on. Communities groups are also encouraged to log your actions on the Pollinators.ie website (https://pollinators.ie/record-your-actions/) and write it into your Tidy Towns report for next year’s competition. One change for biodiversity Roscommon County Council Giorria Environmental Services 2 ONE CHANGE FOR BIODIVERSITY RECOMMENDATIONS The residents’ group are interested in developing green area at entrance to the housing estate. The Heritage officer has checked, and the area falls within housing estate ownership, and therefore should be included in the general maintenance of the estate. The group are keen to establish a wildlife garden and pond. Please note that Roscommon County Council does not recommend the establishment of a pond in this area for health and safety reasons. Unmanaged area by housing estate entrance This area can be developed as a wildlife area. It appears that the area has not been managed for some time. Grass management By cutting the grass once a year, and removing and composting the cuttings, it would encourage more wildflowers to grow, which would befit pollinators as well as other insects. • Cut grass at the end of September / early October. • Remove and composting cuttings. • Option – scatter yellow rattle seed after cutting. Yellow rattle is an annual flower that parasites grass roots, weakening grass growth and therefore increasing the number of wildflowers that will grow. • Part of area could be managed on a short six-week meadow which allows lower growing flowers such as clover and buttercups. Example of a 6-week short meadow Example of a wildflower meadow • Monitor area for 1-2 years to see what wildflowers emerge. If required additional wildflower plug plants could be added to increase number of flowers. Ideally seeds can be collected locally, and plants grown on as plug plants. Flowers that would suit this location include ox- eyed daisy, knapweed, cat’s ear and meadow buttercup. The National Biodiversity Data Centre produce a helpful “how-to-guide” on collecting and using pollinator friendly wildflower seed. The guide can be found at the link below: https://pollinators.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/How-to-guide-Seeds-2018- WEB.pdf One change for biodiversity Roscommon County Council Giorria Environmental Services 3 Tree management There are several trees on the northern boundary of the site. • Consider planting a couple of additional trees along this northern boundary. • One or two individual trees could also be planted along the eastern boundary. Suitable trees for this area Common Latin name Flowering Good for name Crab apple Malus sylvestris April - May Insects (flowers), Birds (fruit) Wild cherry Prunus avium April Insects (flowers), Birds (fruit) Rowan Sorbus species March Flowers for insects. Fruit for birds. Juneberry Amelanchier species April Flowers for insects. Fruit for birds. (Note: not A. lamarckii which may be invasive). Homes for Wildlife Look at putting up a bird box, hedgehog box and insect box to support other wildlife in this area. Instructions are given in appendices at the back of the report. The hedgehog box will need to be placed in an area with good cover, such as under the existing trees. Shrubs for wildlife A couple of pollinator friendly shrubs could be planted along the fence that separates the area from the nearby house. Shrubs, such as Berberis and Guelder rose, that provide flowers and fruit would be ideal as these would benefit both pollinators and wild birds. Common name Latin name Flowers Comment Berberis Berberis darwinii April - May Chose compact variety such as Berberis darwinii ‘Compacta’ California lilac Ceanothus May - June Deutzia Deutzia gracilis June - July Guelder rose Viburnum opulus April - May Hebe Hebe May - September Fuchsia Fuchsia magellanica June - October One change for biodiversity Roscommon County Council Giorria Environmental Services 4 Creating a wet land area for wildlife Ponds and wet areas can be great to attracting wildlife, but when situated in a publicly accessible area it is vitally important to keep health and safety in mind, particularly for younger members of the neighbourhood. It is important to remember that children can drown in just a couple of inches of water. The Wildlife Trust in the UK produce an excellent pond booklet which is available free to download at: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2019- 08/Big%20or%20small%20ponds%20for%20all%20Wid%20About%20Gardens.pdf There are a couple of options for creating a safe wetland area. These includes the following: 1. Create a boggy habitat / bog garden 2. Create a miniature water/pond area 3. Create a small pond but include a pond safety grid 1. Creating a bog garden A bog garden is a great alternative to a pond. Bogs are great places for a whole host of wild plants and insects. You can create a bog garden in much the same way you do a pond. • Mark out your desired area with rope away from trees in a sunny position. • Dig a hole between 50-100 cm deep. • Line the hole with a butyl liner, and pierce with the fork for drainage. • Add a shallow layer or gravel to stop the holes getting blocked. • Refill the hole with the soil you dug out. • Add some bog, moisture loving plants (see table below). Choose mixture of tall and low growing plants. Avoid sedges as they can take over. Do not plant species such as Gunnera or other invasive species. • Water during periods of drought. • Add few flat stones to larger areas to allow for maintenance. • Bog plants can grow quickly and will require annual cutting back. • Create a log pile adjacent to the bog garden as this is great place for amphibians to hide. 2. Creating a miniature garden pond A small container pond can be just as valuable for wildlife as a bigger pond. Decide whether you want to sink your container or have on the surface. • Choose a water- tight container such as an old Belfast sink. Alternatively use something like a half barrel and line it with pond liner. • If sinking, dig a hole deep enough to accommodate container, and lower into position. • Add a layer of gravel to the bottom of the container. One change for biodiversity Roscommon County Council Giorria Environmental Services 5 • Add a few rocks to one side of the container. Ideally these should reach the top of the container so that any animal that may accidentally fall in (such as a mouse or hedgehog) will be able to clamber out. • Choose one submerged plant from the pond plant table below. • Add one or two other plants. • Ideally fill with rainwater by allowing time for rain to fill the container naturally. • Create a log pile or stone pile adjacent to the pond as this is great place for amphibians to hide. 3. Create a small pond but include a pond safety grid (see also Appendices) • The pond should have deep and shallow areas. The shallow areas only need to be about 30cm deep and should have gently sloping edges. This provides the ideal habitat for amphibians and invertebrates. The deep areas should be at least 80cm deep. • Creating ‘shelves’ at different levels provides a variety of depths and habitats for a range of water creatures and plants. • Ideally the pond should be allowed to fill naturally with rainwater. • Plant a range of aquatic plants, both submerged (totally submerged and those with floating leaves), emergent plants (those in shallow arears) and marginal plants (those growing on pond edge). See full list of suitable plants in table below. • Once complete cover with a safety grid. Pond safety grids can be purchase from the following: http://www.pondsafetysystems.ie/PondSafetyGrid.htm • Create a log or stone pile adjacent to the pond as this is great place for amphibians to hide. Pond with native wildflowers including bog bean, ragged robin and buttercup One change for biodiversity Roscommon County Council Giorria Environmental Services 6 Plants suitable for pond and bog areas Common name Latin name Comment Suitable for Common water- Ranunculus aquatilis Deeper water Pond crowfoot (submerged and oxygenating plants) Common water- Callitriche stagnalis Deeper water Pond