The sheep are back at National Trust Formby!

The sheep have at last arrived at National Trust site in Formby. They come for the season to help keep the long grass under control allowing the dune flowers to flourish. Without grazing we would not have the beautiful yellow Birds – Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), the violet Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), the low scrambling Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum), the sweet smelling Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and many more.

The sheep stay from May to September and play a necessary part in the conservation of the unique Formby landscape. Please make sure your dogs don’t get into the fields where the sheep are.

A spokesperson from National Trust said: “Meet some of the flock, Humphrey and Irene (they’re the two white ones). They’re hebridean-herdwick crosses and are related in some complicated way to our old herdwick Arnie. The rest of the flock are hebridean sheep, a mixture of ewes (females) and wethers (castrated males).”

“This is a new flock to us here at National Trust Formby. They’ve come from Lancs Wildlife Trust’s lovely reserve at Mere Sands Wood.”

“So far so good, they seem to have settled in very happily and are a very friendly bunch. We’ll be moving them around our fields over the next few months, letting them munch their way through the grass, giving the rare dune plants a chance to grow.”

“We’ll keep you posted on sheepy matters as the season progresses but make sure you take a quiet couple of minutes to go and see them.”