Haslemere Museum Garden and Grounds

The Museum Meadow and the Local Landscape

The meadow has two distinct areas; the upper part is dry but the ground slopes down to a wet area, which is rich in rushes and other plants that require damp soil. The moisture also provides a source of drinking water and the bees may be seen there in hot weather.

Many of the flowers in the meadow (including the grasses) are food plants for the caterpillars of butterflies and moths and nectar provides sustenance for the adult insects.

The Museum Meadow lies on what is called the Hythe beds, which were laid down as sediments, about 100 million years ago, in the Lower Cretaceous period. These support a landscape that we typify as "Wealden" and looking out across the lawn and beyond to the steep tree filled valleys this view is typical of that description.

Meadows like this one; hold high numbers of plants both annual and perennial which in turn supports large numbers of other wildlife. By looking at the meadow in the early part of the year you will see numerous dead flower heads from the recent summer scabious, knapweed vetches and many more.

Beneath the mass of grasses, voles and shrews will be busy living out their lives supported by the richness of the meadows species. Voles build tennis ball sized nests made up of chewed up grass stems woven into shape and secreted at the base of a tussock or large plant. Shrews are active hunters with their high-pitched squeaks denoting serious disputes between individuals.

Spring
The vitality of the meadow begins to show in the warming days of early spring for we see the first bumblebees and butterflies crossing the meadow in their searches for nectar. Numerous over-wintering insects will emerge to sun bathe on the ha-ha wall. Hover flies, bee flies will search for the dandelion flowers, an important food for these early insects.

Summer
Looking at the Museum Meadow in early summer you will see the bright colours of many plants, the blue of scabious, red and yellow of the vetch, white drifts of oxe-eye daisy together with the flowering heads of the many grasses. Above, among and all around there are insects, wasps and hornets hunting insects to feed their young. Bees of many sorts collecting nectar and pollens, scarlet and black burnet moths buzzing torpedo-like criss-crossing the grass looking for mates. Larger butterflies red admiral peacocks and comma search out nettles that thrive along the meadow edge, meadow brown butterflies in their subtle chestnut and browns vie with the copper red of the small copper laying eggs on the docks in the grass.

This huge variety is made possible by the richness of the underlying grassland whose numerous plant species provide the means by which these creatures are able to live their lives. Its impossible here to mention all those living within the meadow, but if you stand on the lawn and look across, over the ha-ha, you will see ant and spider species at your feet, numerous solitary bees and the museum´s hive bees, all busy in their own ways.

It is perhaps in late summer that the meadow achieves its most colourful and productive period, the air over the meadow is alive with insects pursued in turn by dragonflies, wasps and hornets. Red and black red admiral butterflies, yellow brimstone butterflies join commas meadow browns in feeding up for hibernation or searching for mates over the late summer flowers. Many of the grasses will have set seed ready for next years display.

Autumn
As we approach autumn many of the grasses will have set seed, this will fall onto the soil, germinate and grow on next year. Many of the perennial grasses will die back giving the later maturing species of plant and grass an opportunity to flourish. Majoram is one such plant; it flowers in August giving nectar to many including gatekeeper and brown argus butterflies, who emerge at this time. Majoram is visited by numerous insects particularly bees and hover flies, knapweed too is a later and long flowering plant that is important to the insect community for it is this community that the loss of the flower meadow has hit hardest.

The Museum Meadow can and will make a real difference to their numbers in the future. In order to maintain this rich diversity, the traditional practice of mowing during the summer should be continued. This is done after the flowers have set seed. The resulting hay has at this time a good nutritional value for animals, so there are benefits for the diversity of the pasture and the stock animals.

It is inevitable that some of the more vigorous grasses may start to predominate since some seasons will favour them. Some plants too will inhibit the growth of others, Yellow Rattle is a parasitic on grasses and so can and will reduce their fecundity. This is just one of the many facets that have evolved in these complex plant communities. One in which the museum is able to demonstrate in its own meadow.