Anicent breed Gloucester's at Hinton

A herd of ancient breed Gloucester cows graze on Hinton's lush parkland

As a nation we’ve lost 97 per cent of wildflower meadows since the 1930s. This staggering loss has stripped our bugs, butterflies, bumblebees, small birds and mammals of their natural homes and contributed to a devastating decline in our wildlife population. In an effort to do reverse this deterioration, we've introduced a small herd of Gloucester cattle to the parkland behind Hinton's house. And, since their short time in the parkland, we've already seen an increase in the numbers and types of wildflowers, to the benefit of the wildlife and to the enjoyment of our visitors.

History

Working in partnership with a local grazier Nic O’Connell, Ranger Paul Collin's has introduced a small herd of Gloucester cattle to Hinton's parkland. An ancient, native breed, Gloucester cows have been around since the 13th century. Their popularity perhaps due to their docile and amenable nature, and happiness to share their territory with both animal and human visitors. 

A herd of ancient breed Gloucester cows graze on Hinton's lush parkland
A herd of ancient breed Gloucester cows graze on Hinton's lush parkland
A herd of ancient breed Gloucester cows graze on Hinton's lush parkland

Livestock grazing and wildlife conservation

Cattle grazing is hugely benefivial in the management of grasslands. The cows eat the lush, more dominant grasses, removing nutrients, and allowing other plants to develop. This makes the parkland more attractive to wildlife.Cow dung is also very beneficial to wildlife, providing food and a home to insects such as the hornet robberfly, and to fungi.  

" It’s a very therapeutic thing, watching the cows graze on a summer’s day over this landscape. It’s such a beautiful place and I love coming to soak up the views. And of course it’s great to know that we’re helping support a rare breed, as well as Hampshire’s wildlife. It really is a win-win situation."
- Paul Collins
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What's the impact been so far?

Since their introduction, we've seen the Common blue butterflies make a return, which have a special relationship with ant hills, which wouldn’t exist if we controlled the grass with machinery. Meadow browns and marbled whites have also been sighted.

This year there’s been a big increase in cowslips - there were just one or two last year. And very excitingly, we’ve seen barn owls too - an endangered species. This is an indicator that the low grassland is making hunting for mammals like voles and shrews easier. 

We’ve given the parkland’s depleted seed bank a bit of a helping hand in other ways too. There are no longer any field margins that would allow seeds to move across naturally, so we’ve spread wildflower seed including wild marjoram and orchids from a similar landscape in Selborne. 

A little girl explores a wildflower meadow at Rufford Old Hall, Lancashire

Making Meadows appeal 

Help us restore 1,000 hectares of wildflower meadows and protect species like the large blue butterfly, the turtledove and the great yellow bumblebee before it's too late.

Donate to save the nation’s meadows