ROSS MEADOW

Sheila Copping

Tree Warden and Ross Meadow Coordinator                                 December 2002 Update

ROSS MEADOW, RISELEY

A central feature of Riseley is Ross Meadow, a two acre “pocket park”. For many years, the plot was owned by the Ross family of nearby Thurleigh. Over generations, the land was rented by many different tenants and put to a number of uses — from keeping chickens and horses to market gardening. In more recent times, the meadow was filled with allotments but gradually, as demand fell, the land became unkempt and underused. In 1995 the Parish Council purchased the land to ensure that it would not be developed, at the same time recognising the potential of this green space as an area that villagers and visitors alike could enjoy. Through the efforts of village volunteers and with financial aid from a match-funded grant and local donations, the pocket park was created. The good work continued and, with on­going help from the volunteers, Ross Meadow was awarded the Bedfordshire Rural Communities Challenge Cup in 1996.

It is a lovely, peaceful place at the heart of the village where people can stroll or sit and be surrounded by native plants and wildlife. The village lower school have a “butterfly garden” in the meadow made up of nectar plants. The meadow has two busy public footpaths running across it linking social housing and the church at one end with a home for the elderly, the village shop and the High Street at the other. Whilst the grass is cut regularly and weed-beating measures such as matting and bark chippings have been employed, Ross Meadow is deliberately not “overtidied” leaving seedheads and fruiting bodies of all types for the wildlife to feed on. Log piles and patches of nettles and brambles form great habitats for smaller creatures and the whole site provides a valuable study resource for local school children. There are also two sizeable plots containing fruiting trees known as the “berry bird gardens” and a circle of nut-bearing trees referred to as the “nut grove”.

Much work has been done to enhance the meadow as a habitat for plants and wildlife in general. In 1998, as part of their environmental project, the local cubs made various types of bird boxes and, with the help of Leaders and some parents, sited them in trees in the meadow. They also helped construct the log piles and did a great job of weeding some of the shrub borders. In 2000, an arable weed area was created along the brook bank and more spring bulbs were planted.

Within Ross Meadow, the W.I. have created and maintain a scented remembrance garden. To celebrate the Millennium, the W.I. buried a “time capsule” in their garden which contains the history of Riseley W.I. and a number of related artefacts. A record of the capsule’s location will be retained by the W.I., the village’s Historical Society and the County Council’s Records Office with the intention of opening it in the year 2100. Another project for the Millennium, a “human shadow” sundial, was completed in 2001. It consists of a carved oak baseboard showing the months of the year (on which one stands) and two half-rings of oak “stumps” showing the time in GMT and BST (on which one’s shadow is cast).

Several memorable village events have been held in the meadow: In 1999, a day-long celebration of May Day was held with music, dancing, demonstrations of rural crafts, and sales of local produce and plants. Hundreds of villagers came to enjoy the day. In 2000, in conjunction with the Church’s Flower Festival, “Autumn and Apple Day” were celebrated with another whole day event and, in 2002, the village’s Jubilee celebrations culminated in an evening “picnic-in-the-park” in Ross Meadow attended by an estimated four hundred people with live music, dancing and the lighting of a beacon.

THE WILD PLANTS OF ROSS MEADOW

A survey carried out by Mark Powell on 25th May 1998.

Latin Name                                Common Name 

Lapsana communis                               Nipplewort

Geum urbanum                                      Wood Avens

Veronica serpyl lifolia                           Thyme-leaved speedwell

Sonchus asper                                      Prickly Sowthistle

Dactylis glomerata                                Cock’s-foot

Taraxacum agg.                                    Dandelion

Fraxinus excelsior                                 Ash

Glechoma hederacea                           Ground Ivy

Ranunculua repens                               Creeping buttercup

Poa trivialis                                            Rough-stalked Meadow grass

Geranium dissectum                           Cut-leaved Cranesbill

Poa annua                                             Annual Meadow-grass

Malva sylvestris                                     Common Mallow

Lamium album                                      White Dead-nettle

Anisantha sterilis                                  Barren Brome

Trifolium repens                                    White Clover

Sisymbrium officinale                           Hedge Mustard

Rumex obtusifolius                                Broadleaved dock

Heracleum sphondylium                       Hogweed

Symphoricarpos alba                           Snowberry

Galium aparine                                     Cleavers

Anthriscus sylvestris                             Cow Parsley

Alopecurus pratensis                           Meadow foxtail

Urtica diolca                                          Stinging Nettle

Rumex crispus                                      Curled Dock

Rumex sanguineus                               Wood Dock

Alliaria petiolata                                    Garlic Mustard

Arrhenatherum elatius                          False Oat-grass

Scrophularia auriculata                        Common Figwort

Veronica persica                                  Persian speedwell

Sonchus oleraceus                              Smooth Sowthistle

Poa angustifolia                                    Narrow leaved Meadow grass

Senecio jacobaea                                Common Ragwort

Stachys sylvatica                                  Hedge Woundwort

Epilobium hirsutum                               Great Hairy Willowherb

Geranium robertianum                         Herb Robert

Crataegus monogyna                          Common Hawthorn

Chaerophyllum temulentum                Rough Chervil

Phalaris arundinacea                           Reed Canary grass

Convolvulus arvensis                           Field Bindweed

Juncus inflexus                                     Hard Rush

Ranunculus ficaria ssp. bulbilifer       Celandine

Centaurea nigra                                  Common Knapweed

Typha lalifolia                                       Reedmace

Stellaria holostea                                Greater Stitchwort

Hedera helix                                        Ivy

Prunus spinosa                                   Blackthorn

Rubus agg.                                          Bramble

Quercus robur                                     English Oak

Acer pseudoplatanus                        Sycamore

Myosotis arvensis                              Field forget-me-not

Senecio vulgaris                                Groundsel

Plantago major                                  Greater Plantain

Holcus lanatus                                    Yorkshire Fog

Lamium purpureum                            Red Dead-nettle

Calystegia sepium                            Greater Bindweed

Chenopodium album                        Fat Hen

Capsella bursa-pastoris                   Shepherd’s Purse

Fallopia convulvulus                          Black Bindweed

Papaver Iecogii                                 Yellow-juiced poppy

Thlaspi aevense                                Penny cress

Sambucus nigra                                Elder

Acer campestre                                Field Maple