Soggy flowers, kids and water buffalo!

By Fran Southgate

Wetlands Landscapes Officer

“It sounds like the earth is breathing” – says an eight year old boy as our spade makes a big squelchy sucking noise coming out of the ground. We are digging holes to help them plant flowering fen plants in their ‘school grounds’ where they keep the water buffalo! All around me are young kids, busily putting wetland plants into their marshy new home. Some of the children have never planted a plant before, others just like the names of the things they are planting – names like cowslip, brooklime and ragged robin.

This is no ordinary school. West Rise primary has gained national accolades for the work that it does with its pupils to teach them outdoor skills, food growing, survival and much much more. Each week, a number of their classes are taken outdoors onto the marshland that they lease, to teach them forest schools. The children are incredibly well adapted and confident for their age, with a keen interest and an enquiring intellect in everything they do. They like the smell of the water mint, and the idea that some of the plants such as meadowsweet that we are digging into this squishy ooze will help the water buffalo ‘self-medicate’ if ever they become poorly. The children may even be able to use the water mint to make tea on their fire once it has established.

It’s an immense pleasure to work with children to repair some of the damage which has been done to our wetlands. Similar to grasslands and meadows, nutrient enrichment and other intensive management over the decades have led to drastic declines in the numbers and variety of flowering plant species that we see in our wetlands. Fens and wet meadows are often overlooked when discussing ways to restore more habitat for our valuable pollinating insects such as bees, but they can be as important as nectar sources as drier flowering meadows.

We are all hoping that in a few months time, these plants will become a riot of colour and flowers for the bees and the butterflies, as well as for the children and adults that use the site. Many thanks to everyone who helped to grow, supply, deliver and plant the plants.