Major work has started at a new nature reserve between Leominster and Hereford, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust has said.

The major landscaping work has started this month at Oak Tree Farm nature reserve in the Lugg Valley to create a wildlife-friendly wetland with pools, wet grassland and reedbeds.

Oak Tree Farm is a 30-acre site comprised of pasture and meadow, the trust, which also runs Bodenham Lake and Queenswood nearby, said.

It lies directly below Dinmore Hill and slopes down to the River Lugg which forms its southern border.

In the winter, an ephemeral pool emerges beside the river and there is also a natural spring on the land. These are all said to be great features for wildlife and mean that the site is perfect for further enhancement.

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust said the location, which it bought in 2020, means the reserve will also be a stepping stone for wetland wildlife between Bodenham Lake nature reserve and Wellington Gravel Pits, two of the most important county sites for wetland birds and will improve connectivity between a wetland complex of more than 20 lakes within the Lugg Valley.

 

Seasonal ponds formed from the flooding of the river Lugg at Oak Tree Farm in February 2021. Picture: Susan Grifin/Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

Seasonal ponds formed from the flooding of the river Lugg at Oak Tree Farm in February 2021. Picture: Susan Grifin/Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

 

This month, diggers have arrived at the site to begin scraping out areas to create a series of pools as well as shallows where reedbed, an important and rare wildlife habitat, can then be planted.

In the spring, after the landscaping has been completed, the trust will begin spreading locally-collected seeds to introduce lost wildflower species into the meadows.

They will also be planting small wetland plants into the pools and scrapes to enhance the site biodiversity.

Claire Spicer, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust’s conservation projects officer, said: “It is so exciting for work to start after all our planning and to see the designs take shape on the ground.

"We’ve been restoring wetland features and protecting the river in the Lugg Valley, both on our own sites and by working with landowners, since 2015.

"Creating another wetland for wildlife at this site is another step forward. We are hoping the reserve will be open to the public by this time next year and can’t wait to see what new species start to call this special place home once the work is complete.

"Hopefully wetland birds such as curlew, lapwing and oystercatcher will be common to see here in the future.”