Crown Meadow in Bloom: Progress Highlights and Summer Expectations

Author: Jon Cook
Published: 4th July, 2025 @ 17:07
Updated: 4th July, 2025

Councillor Robert Townsend, Chairman of Stone Town Council’s Environment Sub-Committee, has provided more details on magnificent Crown Meadow.

Over the past few months, several planned improvements have been started across Crown Meadows. In this feature, we will take a closer look at the progress to date, the key initiatives currently underway, and what visitors can look forward to as we move into the summer season.

Investing in Nature: Key Improvements Taking Root

One of the most noticeable recent improvements at Crown Meadow is the enhancement of the car park area. Our contractor has widened the space to accommodate more vehicles, replaced the fencing and improved the surface.

Another key improvement underway at Crown Meadow is the ongoing maintenance of the wetland scrapes, an essential feature of the site’s ecological landscape. Wetland scrapes are shallow depressions, usually less than 1m in depth, which hold flood water and stay wet for most of the year. Stone Town Council funded the creation of two such scrapes at Crown Meadow in 2008 which was pivotal in providing the right conditions for a wider range of flora and fauna. Crown Meadow is part of the Trent Valley flood plain and the scrapes help to alleviate floodwater and slow down the river when it overtops its banks.

In recent years the scrapes have been increasingly invaded by hundreds of willow saplings which have reduced the effectiveness and biodiversity of the scrapes. To address this, our contractor has cut back selected willow trees that shed seed into the scrapes and has removed the unwanted saplings from the scrapes. In an effort to reuse the saplings, some were taken by Stafford Borough Council and planted further upstream where they are needed.

The work carried out by the contractor can look rather destructive but it is essential for the longer-term ecological health of the scrapes. Nature soon bounces back after the works have been completed as visitors to Crown Meadow during the summer months will see. Conditions in the scrapes are already improving for a variety of native plants, insects, and bird species.

Wildlife Wonders: Crown Meadow’s Summer Visitors

Summer is the time of plenty when our flora is at its most lush and insects their most diverse. There is plenty to see at Crown Meadow and below are a few of the more obvious species you might notice as you walk around.

The flowers of Butterbur occur in the spring, we are now left with their large distinctive leaves; mainly by the Scotch Brook. The grassy area of Crown Meadow is covered with Common Sorrel; a member of the dock family.

There are a number of flowers collectively referred to as umbels as they have an “umbrella-shaped” flower head. In spring we get the Cow Parsley or Queen Anne’s Lace but in summer its place is taken by Hogweed – have a sniff of the flowers; they do indeed smell of pigs! It grows up to 2.5m. Umbels are magnets for insects so it’s always worth having a look at them closely.

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Tansy is a plant grown in gardens for its attractive yellow flowers and its foliage has a strong scent when rubbed. It grows on the riverbank.

Meadowsweet, with its pretty cream flowers, is an attractive species of damp habitats. Gardeners will recognise our only native Iris species, the Yellow Iris. It likes more permanently wet areas.

Another plant associated with waterways these days is the Himalayan Balsam which spreads rapidly and chokes out native vegetation. In winter when it dies down, it leaves the riverbanks exposed to erosion. Volunteers organised by Stone Town Council will be starting a program to reduce and contain the Himalayan Balsam over the next two years.

Crown Meadow and the River Trent attract a variety of bird and insect visitors. The Trent attracts Goosanders while Mute Swans have on occasion bred on the meadow. Other wetland bird species that you may see are Kingfisher, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Mallard and Moorhen.

The River Trent is home to the attractive Banded Demoiselle, a large and colourful damselfly species which you may see flying over the river when the male’s blue spots on its wings are very noticeable. They often perch on bankside vegetation.