Hedgerow and grassland

Hedgerows offer fantastic habitats for many wildlife species because they act as a 'superhighway', connecting different landscapes together through an abundance of plants and flora.

Our plans to improve stretches along the Grand Union, Oxford, Stratford, Staffordshire & Worcester, Droitwich and Shropshire Union canals will encourage more species to the areas and connect fragmented populations.

Populating with pollinators

Focusing on pollinators, we will be planting a variety of native hedgerow species including blackthorn, buckthorn, elm, wild privet and barberry, as well as fruiting trees like cherry plum, bullace and common pear. We will also add wildflower seeding to the ground below the hedgerow and in grassland spaces on opposite waterway banks. Along waterway fringes, we will plant larval and nectar species to improve foraging opportunities.

There will also be regular maintenance and cutting of the hedgerows to keep them healthy and useful to species.

Hedgerow species spotlight

Brown hairstreak butterfly

The brown hairstreak butterfly is a native species which has been in rapid decline since the 1970s. They are typically seen at treetop level around the edges of woodland, and use ash trees as a base to eat, sleep and mate.

The females rely on the likes of blackthorn in hedgerows to lay their eggs. But, with 60% of our hedgerows now lost due to poor management and extreme flailing, a lack of suitable habitat has prevented new life to flourish.

We will be restoring large areas of hedgerow through planting new blackthorn, and will also keep it maintained through regular, sustainable pruning.

Small blue butterfly

Our smallest butterfly, the small blue, needs a plant called kidney vetch to roost communally. Flowering kidney vetch is best found in sheltered, warm grassland areas with tall grasses, but urbanisation and agriculture has meant there are fewer suitable areas for it to grow.

The females use flowering kidney vetch to lay their eggs inside, and once the larvae has hatched, the plant then acts as a key source of food.

We will be planting kidney vetch seeds along the Grand Union Canal to help connect fragmented colonies of the small blue butterfly. We will also be regularly monitoring the growth of nearby grasses and scrub to prevent kidney vetch from being out-competed.