The nationally rare snake’s head fritillaries which thrive on Tupsley’s Lugg Meadow only flower for a few weeks in April. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust will be celebrating the Lugg Meadow fritillaries on Saturday, April 16 with a day of guided walks, children’s activities and craft and food stalls accompanying the more official survey of the flowers.

If you haven’t seen them before, then this is your chance to go on one of Herefordshire Wildlife Trust ‘s annual fritillary guided walks on Saturday 16th April from 10am to 3pm starting from its headquarters in Lower House Farm, Ledbury Road, Tupsley, Hereford HR1 1UT. You can learn about the history and wildlife that make the Lugg meadow nature reserve unique from local experts. For details about the lengths and timings of the guided walks, please view the Trust’s What’s On website pages at www.herefordshirewt.org.

The Trust are again partnering with the Floodplain Meadows Partnership to survey the fritillaries for the fifth year running. This is part of a national project which is looking at fritillaries on a number of important floodplain sites. Why not volunteer for the day to help count the fritillaries on the Lugg Meadow? If you are interested in taking part please email either Sue Holland at s.holland@herefordshirewt.co.uk or Emma Rothero at emma.rothero@open.ac.uk for further details. No previous experience is required.

There will also be a Buzzing Blooms Explorers Tour’ for children aged 6 years and upwards, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, led by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust’s WildPlay team focusing on the meadow’s wildflowers and the bees that pollinate them. The walk will include lots of fun facts, games and a bit of science! Places on this tour will be limited to 15 children plus accompanying adults so booking is essential. However if children are confident to attend on their own, then the accompanying adults may wish to join the adult guided walks. Please book online for a place on the children’s tour at www.herefordshirewt.org or contact the Trust on 01432 356872. For more information on this specific walk visit www.wildplay.org.

There will also be other children’s activities at Lower House Farm, the Trust’s headquarters, running from 10am to 2pm, including making solitary bee hotels, seed bombs and bee crafts to take away.

Delicious hot food for those wanting lunch will be on sale from Hereford’s very own Rocket Café. Tea, coffee and cake will also be available and there will be the chance to browse a number of stalls selling plants, arts, crafts and Orchard Origins produce.

The cost of admission is £5 per adult. Children under 14 go free.

It is advisable to come equipped with warm clothing and good footwear as the Lugg Meadow can be incredibly cold and windy at this time of year and there is no shelter.

Directions: A438 out of Hereford turn left opposite the Cock of Tupsley (signposted- Herefordshire Nature Trust), Lower House Farm is the 17th Century black and white farm house down the lane. Grid ref: SO 536 404.

As ever with the natural world and due to the Lugg Meadow being a floodplain, there is always the possibility that this event may have to be cancelled due to flooding. Nor is it guaranteed that the fritillaries will be flowering, so please check the website for up to date information.