A Flavour of Our Wildflower Wander

Sunday 15th (Father's Day) was the day we chose for our annual wildflower wander. A small band of residents gathered in Knights car park in readiness to wander and marvel at the wildflowers in 4 locations in north Betchworth. Each location was chosen to tell a different story.

The first stop was near the A25 roundabout on Station Rd.  In October last year the drainage ditch by the side of the road was dug out and the mud from the bottom of the drain was dumped on the bank. The muddy bank was devoid of plant life but 8 months later the bank is one of the most verdant places in the whole of the 4Bs comprising a tangled mass of plants. 

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​On our walk we spotted flowering bramble, nettle, several varieties of thistle, hog weed, great burdock, mugwort, plantain, oxeye daisies, red campion, rough hawks beard, common knapweed, hedge bedstraw, queen anne’s lace, hoary mustard, nipplewort, bristly oxe tongue, teasel and more. It also seemed to be a haven for ladybirds.

Our second stop was at Chalklands where for the past 7 years a significant part of the garden has been managed for wildflowers. The grass is cut once a year in early September and the cuttings removed. This practice has depleted the soil in nutrients, discouraged grass growth and encouraged wildflowers. In May and June there is a wonderful profusion of oxeye daisies in May and June, followed by the flowering of hundreds of pyramid and common spotted orchids in June and July. But this year has been different, because of the exceptionally dry spring weather, there are very fewer oxeye daisies and orchids than in previous years and the oxeye daisies and orchids that have grown are smaller in size – compare photos 2024-25. 

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In spite of this obvious difference there were still plenty of wildflowers to see including: oxeye daisies, three species of orchid – common spotted, pyramid and bee orchids, abundant clumps of yellow greater birdsfoot trefoil, creeping and meadow buttercup, hairy hawkbit, black medic and rag wort, purple self heal and common knapweed and white clover. 

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Our third stop was in the old Goods Yard at Betchworth Station, where the owners have recently embarked on a rewilding project to turn what was intended to be a car park into a haven for wildlife.  The site has been cleared of the accumulated rubbish and prepared – trees have been cut, topsoil has been added in some areas and undergrowth removed from the woodland. Paths of wood chip have been laid through the woodland and perennial wildflower seed was sown 2 months ago.  We were not expecting to see wildflowers from the seeds that were sown but all around the margins of the former goods yard there are signs of regeneration as seeds and roots already in the soil begin to exploit the new habitat. 

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​The star plant at this time is Viper's Burgloss which favours dry sandy or calcareous soils. There was also abundant Hemp Agrimony just coming into flower.
The owners are planning to sow more wildflower seed and plant bulbs in the woodland area in the autumn. It will be fascinating to see how this new space for nature is colonised in the coming years.

Our final stop was Potters Farm where James and Claire Benn have been cultivating a wildflower meadow from a wildflower-grass seed mix for many years. Their practice is to make one annual grass cut with a scythe and remove the cuttings.  Claire has identified over 30 plant species in the extensive wildflower meadow. This year the oxeye daisies are not so prominent but there is abundant knapweed, together with birdsfoot trefoil, meadow bedstraw and buttercup. 

​The weather was kind to us and it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon with a small group of people who enjoyed being amongst nature.