Newcomers at Snaky

Back in September two Highland cattle, Ruby and Kayla, made a welcome return to Snaky Lane. They had been introduced to graze the site last winter. Grazing is a traditional form of meadow management and will help maintain and improve the site’s grassland flora and fauna.

The cattle are very popular with the locals providing a focal point for visitors. They will remain on site over the winter and will be checked daily by local volunteers.

Towards the end of November members of the Snaky Lane Community Wildlife group faced a new challenge, with the arrival of 10 Beulah Speckled Face ewe lambs.  They are a very hardy Welsh mountain breed and will compliment the work the cattle are doing. The cattle viewed the arrival of their new companions with interest.

Why have sheep been introduced to the site?  Well cattle use their tongues to pull up clumps of long grass, while by contrast the sheep will nibble the sward to a much lower level. This combination should help to speed up the improvement of the grassland. It is expected that the sheep – like the cattle – will remain on site over the winter.

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