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A Living Landscape

Burton Constable's landscape is a great deal more complex than it might appear at first glance!

The parkland is carefully managed according to regulations set out by Natural England, allowing the wildlife and the plants to coexist peacefully alongside the pressures of the agriculture that still forms a crucial part of the site's income and the many visitors that we welcome each year. It's a complex balancing act, that requires a lot of work to get right!

Wildflowers - Not Just Ornaments!

Wildflowers are a key part of our complex ecosystem. They encourage wild insects such as bees, and help make the grass better food for the animals which graze the park.

Our Groundsman is planting more wildflowers to enrich the grassland. The grass will then be mowed in careful patterns to help them grow.

 

Creepy-Crawly Conservation

When cutting long grass we leave patches of thistles and nettles. This means there are still flowers to produce food for insects like moths and bees. They also produce seeds for smaller birds like finches.

Our planted beds also house flowers that attract insects, including the Buddleia or 'butterfly bush'. The orangery's citrus bushes are a favourite for wasps. As the wasps eat pests that would damage the trees, this is very useful!

Fun Fact

In 2018, a survey of the parkland found 47 species of insect - not including spiders which are, of course, arachnids not insects!

One of the insects found was a very rare beetle that lives in soft dead wood (Hedobia Imperialis). This beetle hadn't been found in this region before - exciting news for our team!