Jane Gilmour of La Societe Guernesiaise in the field it has just added to its collection in the low-lying area of St Peter’s near Rocquaine. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0626329)

ANOTHER field has been bought by La Societe Guernesiaise at Rue des Salines, St Peter’s.
It brings the number of meadows owned, leased or managed by the group at the Bridget Ozanne Orchid Fields up to 14.
La Societe paid £21,000 for the field and reserves committee chairman Jane Gilmour said the plan was to manage the new area as another wet meadow.
‘We already owned 11 fields in the area and manage another two and all but one of them are looked after as wet meadows.
‘But this new one is in need of some tender loving care before we can really start doing that.
‘It’s all a little too overgrown at the moment.’
Miss Gilmour said the purchase followed policy because it was an area of high biodiversity, was of great importance and was adjacent to land that the organisation already owned.
La Societe started buying fields in and around Rue des Salines and Rue des Vicheries in 1978.
She hoped the new field would develop in the same way as the others around it have.
‘Some of the fields were superb anyway and others are improving considerably over time because they are being consistently managed.
‘In the best field, there are something like 60 species of plant.’