A WILD flower nature reserve in the heart of Wheathampstead is being officially opened on Thursday.

The 17-acre site, based at the Wheathampstead Development Centre off Butterfield Road, includes chalk grass land, woodland and meadows.

The site is host to a rare species of wild flower called Grass Betchling, a pinky blue flower that is a member of the pea family.

The teasel plant also grows on the land and is a favourite food of the gold finch, a bird which is often spotted feeding on the reserve.

Other birds attracted to the site include yellow hammers, green woodpeckers and kestrels.

The new reserve is a designated English Nature site and will be managed by staff at the development centre, the Countryside Management Service and Herts Outdoors.

"This is one of the first local nature reserves to open in this area so it's quite exciting from our point of view," said project manager Mr Martin Caddy, of the Countryside Management Service.

"Once we have got the management plan under way we hope to involve local schools in using the site as an educational resource. It's very much a community nature reserve that will be open to staff and visitors to Wheathampstead Development Centre and to local residents."

Members of the St Albans-based Countryside Management Service team will be maintaining the reserve with the help of local residents and volunteers.

Mr Caddy said: "We are going to create information boards so that people know what's available on the site and what they are looking at.

"We also plan to improve access to the site by putting in some kissing gates and improve the footpaths by making clear path routes for people to walk on."

The group also plans to clear back the shrubs and tidy up the wild flower meadows.

Members of Wheathampstead Parish Council are among those invited to the reserve's opening ceremony which is being carried out by Mr Jeff Smith, Hertfordshire County Council's principal advisor for schools, standards and curriculum.

Anyone interested in helping with the reserve's upkeep should telephone Mr Caddy on 01727 848168.

July 2, 2002 10:00