The 'Waste Drove' site at Godney Marshes was the beginning of Somerset Wildlands - an 8 acre field purchased by our founder in Summer 2016 and allowed to do its own thing ever since. Interventions have been minimal involving only the digging of a scrape (shallow pond) and the release of some harvest mice. Waste Drove is still owned independently of Somerset Wildlands, but forms part of its affiliated network.

When it was purchased the land had low species diversity. Since then the field has seen many gradual changes, with the land becoming increasingly rough and a slow increase in wetland plants and flowers which have spread from the ditches. Purple loosestrife, water mint, willow herb, marsh thistle, creeping thistle, comfrey, yellow flag, birds foot trefoil, silver weed, St. Johns Wort are all common.

Check out this film by Matt Jarvis, in which he takes a look at the the changing landscape.

The land is frequently flooded in winter, with fish sometimes seen on the path. In summer it tends to hold some water on the scrape into June and July.

While this site has not had formal monitoring, larger wildlife using the site has included otter, roe deer, brown hare, badger, fox, harvest mouse, field vole. Since the project began grass snakes have become common, while marsh harriers, great egrets, little egrets and herons are all regular visitors. Stone chats, gold finches, reed warblers and whitears all frequent the land. In summer particularly the number of invetebrates is impressive, with at least 12 species of dragonfly and damselfly recorded, and X species of Butterly - often in every large numbers.