Cowslips 17 – Mowing 0

Guest blog by Chris du Feu, MoSR’s resident naturalist.

Last year we dedicated the narrow strip of grass along the fence beside Bo’ness Harbour to biodiversity enhancement. The plan was simple: leave the grass uncut until autumn, then cut and leave the arisings in place for two weeks so the seed could fall naturally. After that, remove the dried cuttings to avoid enriching the soil. The principle is that wildflowers thrive in poorer ground, where vigorous grasses can’t out‑compete them.

In practice, things didn’t quite go to plan. The first mowing of 2025 happened before we could intervene. Even so, we still recorded several traditional meadowland species—including, to our delight, an orchid.  This year, however, we started as we meant to go on. No mowing from the outset. And the result has been remarkable.

A sweep of cowslips has appeared—rich yellow, abundant, and entirely natural. We haven’t sown a single wildflower seed. These plants must have been present all along, their flower stalks simply never surviving the previous mowing regime.

What has been even more striking is the contrast. Look along the fence line: on our side, cowslips in full, confident bloom. On the frequently‑mown side, not a single one.

The score so far this year? Biodiversity 17 – Mowing 0.  And we can be fairly sure the cowslips won’t be the only winners.