I have seen insects that I've never seen before.
The tree diversity is not that great - we have stands of plantation Douglas Fir, and "wilder" stands of birch/beech/oak/chestnut. I fully appreciate the diversity that oak supports, though.
My suspicion is that the untamed meadow is a major factor in supporting the diversity. I have more tiny wildflower species than I can keep count of. I mowed a lot of it in this, my first, summer, but I will not be mowing as much of it going forward. I want a little lawn and some walkable paths - the rest I will refrain from taking from nature.
Unfortunately I need to manage the land very intensively or it'll be all bracken in three years. My view on wilderness, in this place, is that it takes a lot of work to make something look like no work has been done.
Nicely put.
We (NZ) got a gift from the UK of gorse bush which now runs pretty rampant, but interestingly it's now being used as a tool for repopulating native plants, as it's hardy nature means it can work as a shield for vulnerable young native plants (https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/the-press/20210605/2... is the best source I could find for this, but I walked through that area about 10 years ago which is how I came to learn about it)
The minute you walk into the site it's apparent from the dragon flies and insect noises that there is something different about the place. It just feels alive in a way I've rarely come across.