Wildlife Verge

East Langton Parish Council needs new signs for the Wildlife Verge in Church Langton.

Can you help?

• Use drawings or photos of plants, insects that live on the verge.
• Tell people why the verge is important for wildlife

Find information about our wildlife verge project and pictures on the East Langton Parish website and noticeboards also at https://www.naturespot.org.uk Go and look at the verge which is on both sides of the Causeway from the houses down to the Thorpe Langton Road.

The chosen signs will be professionally printed and put on the verge. Last date for entries is 31^st August, please add your name, age and a contact address and telephone number. Designs can be collected at Church Langton Primary School, can be emailed to the parish clerk at eastlangtonpc@gmail.com or popped into Cllr Roz Folwell's letter box 39 Thornton Crescent, Church Langton.

See Competition Poster

Leicestershire County Council encourage communities to develop wildlife areas on grass verges. For more information see the leaflet below and link to Leicestershire County Council's website

The Parish Council has agreed a part of the verge on Church Causeway from the Village Entry Sign to the first private access to be part of this scheme with Leicestershire County Council. The area is identified with blue hearts. The County Council did a risk assessment of the area before agreeing the site and an extension was agreed in 2024. The County Council do not mow the identified part of the verge at all. In September the Parish Council has to arrange for the verge to be mown and then a few days later the cuttings have to be removed by volunteers.

The Parish Council is please to have agreed with Great Glen Community Wildspace that they will cut the verge in September for a small price. As members of this group are experts in this area the Parish Council also appreciates the advice this group is able to give.

The County Council arranged for NatureSpot, a Leicestershire Wildlife Charity, to do a survey on the verge in July 2022 and a follow up survey in June 2024 following the extension of the verge These can be seen below along with the relevant web link.

Parish Councillor Irene Ward and the volunteers have been taking photographs on a monthly basis and sharing with the Parish Council and volunteers. The pictures can be seen below.

If anyone wishes to volunteer on this project please get in touch with the clerk

Clr Ward planted some wild primroses on the verge at the beginning of the year and it looks like they have taken

Blue Hearts on the verge

July flowers identified: Climbing nightshade, Great hairy willow herb, Herb Robert, Creeping Buttercup, Common horsetail, Hedge woundwort, Blackberry blossom, Dandelion, Pineapple weed, Green dock, White dead nettle, Rough Chervil, Mallow, Dove's-foot-cranesbill, Field thistle, Hawksbeard, Common Yarrow, White Clover and finally Wild Morning Glory.

Two Butterflies:thought to be female large white and a comma

There were violets at the top of the bank, a couple of patches of lesser celendines and a few daisies and dandylions in flower. The area nearest to the village seemed to have less variety of plants on the verge.

A real mixture of grass where it has been cut regularly next to the road along with some daffodils and snowdrops