SCHOOL children returned to a solar farm where they had recently helped to plant new trees to see how their work was coming along.

Pupils visiting Woolbridge Solar Farm got the chance to explore the varied wildlife living at the farm.

Children from Wool Primary School, Bovington Primary School and St Mary and Joseph’s First school all made the trip to the farm after visiting earlier this year to help plant trees.

They got to enjoy a butterfly hunt and also help to build a shelter for reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

Hugo House, from Good Energy who run the farm, was happy to have the children back at the site once more.

He said: “It was great to welcome back the children to our Woolbridge Solar Farm so they could see how the trees they planted have come into leaf and are beginning to grow.

“We have this great opportunity to nurture and enhance wildlife on our solar farm and we love showing the children how this works in practice.

“As well as planting new trees, we have also planted new hedgerow and a meadow full of Dorset wildflowers. This will create a new habitat for local butterfly and bee populations, native birds and small mammals like hedgehogs.”

Butterfly Conservation also participated in the event by providing the children with worksheets to find out more about butterflies.

Butterfly Conservation project manager, Megan Lowe, said: “It was a great opportunity for the local children to return to the site and learn more about the wildlife than now calls it home.

“We found butterflies like the Orange-tip and Brimstone, which were enjoying the plants the children had helped to sow in the winter months.”

Children also got to enjoy a creative competition for the visiting children to enter.

The local pupils have been challenged to write articles and draw pictures depicting life on a solar far from the point of view of a bee, butterfly or small creature.

The best entry from each school will receive a prize and there will be a special prize for the overall winner, donated by Good Energy partners at the National Trust.

Already, more than 2000 new trees, including a variety of native species such as English oak and field maple have been added to the existing plants at Woolbridge.

Bird and bat boxes alongside a new grassland and wildflower meadow have also been installed by Good Energy.

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