help with habitat management with rare and scarce species

[lizard orchid]

Dear All,
Many thanks for those of you who have helped in the past with me on habitat management on various plant projects. The list is ever growing and if any of you would like to help out for this November onwards then please let me know. You can stay as long as you like but it is usually on a day at the weekend. The jobs vary from species to species but usually involves raking off cut grass, scrub clearing or even soil disturbance using garden forks to open up the seedbank. The soil disturbance is especially for the two Tower Mustard projects. The habitat management is definately benefitting many of the species in the below list. I have written a recent article in the BSBI News on the early success so far on the two Tower Mustard projects. Again thanks to those of you who have given up their spare time over the years.
Here is the list of species that help is needed this year
Ophrys apifera var bicolor Ettington Warwickshire
Ophrys apifera trollii Fosse Way Warwickshire
Tower Mustard Gerrard's Cross Bucks
Tower Mustard Bromsberrow Heath Gloucestershire
Field cow wheat Brogborough Bedfordshire
Shepherd's Needle Raunds Northamptonshire
Lizard Orchid near Bristol Gloucestershire
Field Garlic A3400 Warwickshire
Man Orchid Ufton Fields Warwickshire
Fringed Gentian Wendover Bucks

[Dorts]

Lizard Orchid, you have certainly got a plentiful list of 'to-do's'. I wish I could help, but too far away I'm afraid.
I spent many years on a Tower Mustard site in N.Hants and managed to keep it going for that period. There are now some very well known people taking care of it and I'm pleased to say it's doing very well, but as you know, with Arabis (Turritis) glabra, the management can never stop. Similarly Bee Orchid sites, which I also 'managed' for many years, along with Early Gentian.
I am looking forward to your piece in BSBI News and we should be very grateful
for the work that you are doing. Great Stuff, I wish you well.
Dorts

[lizard orchid]

Thanks Dorts. The article on the Tower Mustard is out at the moment in the present BSBI news. There will be another article maybe in the next BSBI news due to myself finding Northern yellow-cress (Rorripa islandica) new for Warwickshire and probably the most easterly site in the UK. That was a shock find. It is always exciting when the unexpected jumps out at you.
Regarding the management projects more might be added in the future. A number of people have mentioned to me to apply for a grant if possible as tools, petrol and so on have been paid out of my own pocket for the past ten years. Another species where I have also been involved with is Downy Woundwort in Oxfordshire. There was a big site meeting earlier in 2010 and the first stages of management has begun on the Saltway site. A number of people and groups are helping out on this one which is always great to see.
Good luck on your projects you are involved with Dorts.

Brian Laney, Northamptonshire.