Native flowers knapweed and scabious which attract butterflies to their nectar have also been planted along with
bird's-foot trefoil - the main plant food of the common blue butterfly.
Bird's-foot trefoil is also known as eggs and bacon due to the yellow and orange colouration of the flowers.
Much has been made of the methane emissions of livestock, but these are lower in biodiverse pasture systems that include wild plants such as angelica, common fumitory, shepherd's purse and
bird's-foot trefoil because they contain fumaric acid -- a compound that, when added to the diet of lambs at the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen, reduced emissions of methane by 70 per cent.
Flowers such as like harebell and
bird's-foot trefoil were being crowded out by a "marauding gang" of nitrogen thugs which were colonising Welsh grasslands, woodlands, heaths and bogs, he said.
They plan to increase the diversity of pollinating plants in pastures using specialised seed mixtures such as
bird's-foot trefoil, lesser knapweed and tufted vetch.
They plan to increase the number and diversity of pollinating plants in pastures using specialised seed mixtures such as
bird's-foot trefoil, lesser knapweed and tufted vetch.
Other popular varieties include common sorrel,
bird's-foot trefoil, borage and sainfoin.
Viola pedata
Bird's-foot Violet flowers March-June, deeply cut leaves, dry forests and clearings
Barrett cites two classic studies he finds convincing: Small legumes called
bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) end up producing fewer seeds than the number of ovules fertilized.
The first relates to encouraging bees by supporting the late flowering of nectar-rich flowers, such as red clover and
bird's-foot trefoil, by cutting half of the area of the farm's nectar flower mixture to 20cm between June 15 and July 7 in areas where there are no ground nesting birds present.
The wild flower meadows are dotted with red clover, ox-eye daisy and buttery yellow
bird's-foot trefoil.
INCA commented that "blast furnace slag might seem an unusual addition to a nature conservation project, but being a low nutrient alkaline substrate it encourages growth of
Bird's-foot Trefoil and Sheep's Fescue, the larval food plant of the Dingy Skipper and Grayling butterflies respectively".