The 8,000 trees we have planted will, over the years, capture and contain carbon thus helping slow global warming in a small way.

But more immediately they provide a home and food for thousands and thousands of insects. English Oak (Quercus Robber) trees are home to the largest variety of invertebrates of any UK tree species, over 1,000.

And orchards provide food from other insects, as well as producing some of the best tasting honey.

We manage our fields to create “Rough Grassland”. In this system the grass is neither cut nor grazed but allowed to grow all year until it collapses on itself in the Autumn. This collapse creates a dense thatch over 10cm deep and it is within this thatch that the Field Voles make their home.

Field Voles are the main prey item for Barn Owls and Kestrels. As a result of our grassland management the number of voles has blossomed and thus the local Barn Owl population is benefitting.

We have increased the annual number of owlets that our pair of Barn Owls produce each year from 3 to 5.

This Winter we nave created a new larger wildlife pond close to the one we dug in 2018.

We were inspired by the success of the initial pond and so impressed by how quickly nature, in the form of vegetation and insects, moved in.

Every Summer there at Emperor Dragonflies, the largest UK species, dancing over the pond looking for a suitable place to lay their eggs. This image shows one actually laying her eggs whilst two Common Blue Mayflies are in attendance.