Roborough Rewilders

Roborough Rewilders The two Roborough Fields make up 10acres of land in North Devon.

Here, we plan to create biodiveristy hotspot by building a dense mosaic of Devonbank hedgerows, wildflower meadows and pools for the benefit of local wildlife and the environment.

02/06/2026

A view across our front field from the bottom of the Laneside section
Bear in mind that until January 2021 this was a sheep pasture, with neatly kept hedges, and cropped grass. The change is just staggering, the trees we planted on the banks have become mini-hedges, and the ground flora has increased immeasurably with the introduction of yellow rattle seed. Nature truly is amazing. 💚

We know which side we prefer... 🌱Why is this still happening? 😢Is it any wonder that we are one of the most nature deple...
30/05/2026

We know which side we prefer... 🌱
Why is this still happening? 😢
Is it any wonder that we are one of the most nature depleted countries in the whole world? 🌍

Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust Butterfly Conservation Devon Wildlife Trust Plantlife: saving wild plants

Those dandelions do make a massive difference. This was a single flower before a long stretch of heavily mown verge... ...
26/05/2026

Those dandelions do make a massive difference. This was a single flower before a long stretch of heavily mown verge... Jo & Paul spotted it on one of their regular Roborough walks. They had never seen one before, so were totally thrilled to be in the right place at the right time.

"The clouded yellow is a medium-sized, golden-yellow butterfly. It is a migrant species that flies here from North Africa and southern Europe. Clouded yellows appear in small numbers most years, may arrive at any time during the spring and summer." The Wildlife Trusts Devon Wildlife Trust Butterfly Conservation

Elsewhere in Roborough, Jo and Paul have been watching a soap opera play out around their House Martin nests. These are...
23/05/2026

Elsewhere in Roborough, Jo and Paul have been watching a soap opera play out around their House Martin nests. These are artificial nest cups, but they didn't withstand the strength of the Great-spotted Woodpecker's beak. It bashed a big hole in the front of the nest, which the House Martins then spent hours and hours repairing. They were just on a rest from their building work, when who should pitch up, but an inquisitive House Sparrow. She proceeded to peck bits of mud out of the repair, leaving yet another hole for the poor Martins to repair.... All they need is the Eastender's duff duff duff music, and these nests could be screening on primetime TV!🤣
Any such soap operas playing out in your garden, or indeed any nesting attempts - successful or unsuccessful?

📖 Nick's Wild Life Diary 🌱💚🌍Nick visits a nature restoration project close to his home. He visits this field regularly ...
19/05/2026

📖 Nick's Wild Life Diary 🌱💚🌍

Nick visits a nature restoration project close to his home. He visits this field regularly and loves to see all the signs of change and nature returning.

"I was struck by how much life is springing up. The willow in the banks is beginning to flourish (first photo) and there are lots of tiny regenerating trees. The second photo shows the three main ones – oak, hazel and blackthorn. Over time these will transform the field into scrub and patches of trees. Plants that are just coming into flower include salad burnet, vipers bugloss, ox eye daisies, teasel, hawkbit, clovers, knapweed, poppies, yarrow and bristly oxtongue. A heron flew up when I arrived and big holes in the banks show where badgers have dug up bumblebee nests.

The ponds are really interesting too. They are all different - some are dry and stay that way most of the year, some retain water all year and the rest fill in the winter and then dry up (ephemeral). The dry ones are being colonised by terrestrial plants - wildflower and willow (photo 3). The ephemeral ones have both aquatic and terrestrial characteristics. The one shown in photo 4 had tadpoles in it in the spring. These have now left as tiny frogs that will return in two years to breed, but in addition, it has been colonised by lots of terrestrial plants you wouldn’t normally associate with the bottom of a pond – hawkbit, knapweed, dandelions and plantain. Willow is also germinating on the drying mud. This ephemeral pond is providing both a terrestrial and aquatic habitat as well as storing flood water in the winter.

Only one year on from the work being done, the land is transforming itself and filling up with life." Nick Benge

19/05/2026

🚨 Job alert! Could you help support vital conservation work across the South West?

South West Wildlife Fundraising Ltd (SWWFL) is currently hiring for two roles:

1️⃣ Membership Recruiters: you'll be using your people skills to inspire Devon Wildlife Trust membership and help bring nature back.
Find out more and apply 👉 https://buff.ly/HfMqfHz

2️⃣ Chair (Non-Executive): you'll be in a pivotal leadership position, providing direction to the Board of Directors.
Find out more and apply👉 https://buff.ly/ANz3P8M (Deadline: 7th June)

Butterfly numbers are starting to pick up, although the weather is still quite variable, and we've had some cold arctic ...
16/05/2026

Butterfly numbers are starting to pick up, although the weather is still quite variable, and we've had some cold arctic winds this week. This Green-veined White was making the most of a late flowering Dandelion. Have you spotted many butterflies yet this year?

📸 with thanks to Paul for this photo

Often heard, but usually tricky to see, and even more difficult to photograph! We have several Willow Warblers in the f...
13/05/2026

Often heard, but usually tricky to see, and even more difficult to photograph! We have several Willow Warblers in the fields, and they are loving the new growth and scrubby habitat created by our over-grown hedges, and the new hedge banks we created which are really bushing up now. We challenged Paul, The Devon Artist to get some photos, and he didn't disappoint. 📸

A few more photos from the front field, where the 5 year old trees on the banks are in full bloom, and looking stunning....
09/05/2026

A few more photos from the front field, where the 5 year old trees on the banks are in full bloom, and looking stunning. The birdsong was phenomenal with Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, and all the usuals, Blackbird etc. in full song, and no doubt nesting in all the scrubby growth. What a difference!

Not a great photo, but this bank was created in January 2021, when we also hollowed out the area immediately in front of...
05/05/2026

Not a great photo, but this bank was created in January 2021, when we also hollowed out the area immediately in front of it, which became known as Rabbit Pond. The trees were planted at pretty much the same time, and look at them now!
This is the first year that they have all flowered like this, imagine the amount of pollen and nectar for the invertebrates, and if they do their job, the berries for the birds and mammals in the autumn. 💚🌱

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