VOLUNTEERS have been mimicking the actions of birds to encourage more wildlife to an exposed Eden limestone outrcop.

They collected seeds and berries and spread them on the limestone pavement on Little Asby Common, near Appleby.

The common, which is a property owned by Friends of the Lake District, contains rare limestone pavement, which despite its barren appearance is home to a unique range of plants and creates a stunning landscape.

Exposed limestone is naturally faulted and cracked. The cracks are known as grykes and the upstanding ‘paving’ blocks are known as clints, giving the appearance of a pavement.

Limestone pavement would have been wooded until about 4,000 years ago when trees were felled for agriculture. Woodland plants were unable to grow on the surface of the pavement where the soils were thin or non-existent, and retreated into the grykes where there was deeper soil, shade, humidity and protection from grazing.

This is why woodland species are found on limestone pavement and what makes this habitat so unusual.

The limestone pavement at Little Asby Common has less trees and shrubby species than is ideal and there are not many seed or berry bearing trees in the near vicinity. Normally birds would spread the seeds from nearby sources.

So volunteers mimicked the actions of birds by collecting seeds and berries locally, from trees such as hawthorn, ash, sloe and oak and spread them by hand by dropping them down the grykes - the gaps - in the limestone pavement.

‘Sometimes nature needs a helping hand,” said Property Manager Jan Darrall. “The volunteers enjoyed this unusual task and we hope that some of the berries and seeds will germinate to give us more diverse habitats in the future.’ Friends of the Lake District is a charity wholly dedicated to protecting the landscape of Cumbria and the Lake District for the future. It bought Little Asby Common in 2003 to safeguard the internationally important landscape.