Strawberry Banks is owned and managed by the Short family who lived in Oakridge for over 40 years. The site is managed to encourage the wildlife with help from the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and others. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, meaning it has legal protection due to the amazing limestone grassland, associated flora and fauna - especially insects, such as the rare Marsh Fritillary Butterfly. This is why - unlike the rest of the world which seems to be planting trees, you may see groups spend many an hour clearing scrub from the fields. This is in order to keep the grassland open, allowing these amazing creatures to thrive. The woodland and scrubby edges are important too as it the combination that provides the perfect setting for the range of wildlife in the whole valley. The wood piles around the edges are there to rot and encourage mini beasts, as about half of our precious insects need dead wood at some point in their life cycles.
Please enjoy the site by walking, sitting awhile and letting nature take over in this beautiful hidden valley. Please note there is no access for bikes or horses. Do please let us know if you see anything that concerns you or if you are interested in joining our group of keen volunteers please email : [email protected]
Strawberry Banks and surrounding area - current works:
The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust have a project at the moment called Communities for Insects - the aim is to improve pieces of land/limestone grassland from Dimmersdale Reserve to Danaway Banks Reserve (the owners are the Communities) As part of this project a great deal of fencing is being renewed - currently taking place on Strawberry Banks and the fields above. This will mean that more carefully controlled grazing will be possible and the land will be improved for insect life - and by default increase flora and fauna in the areas.