Hogweed control in Wyke Farm Chedington wildflower meadows

Wyke Farm Chedington DT8 3HX

We have been visiting Wyke Farm since 2018 taking part in a number of surveying weekends and moth trapping sessions – the most recent being over the weekend just passed. Every year the biodiversity of the estate becomes richer as the conservation measures taken there produce stunning results.
Many of the fields which were formerly intensive dairy pastures are now species rich hay meadows with a wonderful display of wildflowers. Because the hay is generally cut in July, hogweed gets a chance to set seed and if left will come to dominate the sward to the detriment of other species.
We shall not be wading through the hay meadows as this would trample the grass and make it hard to harvest, but we will be concentrating mainly on the field margins.
We shall meet at 9.30am in the carpark field shown on the map. Bring plenty of water and your lunch and wear tick-proof trousers (ie socks pulled up over the trouser bottoms).
Please bring secateurs if you have them and a bag to cut the seedheads into.
The birdlife at Wyke Farm is very rich so bring binoculars if you have them.