Wildlife preparations ahead of Jersey royal visit

Jean Drydale is creating a wildlife haven ahead of the royal visit

A volunteer hopes to showcase the best of Jersey's wildlife during a royal visit in July.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to visit Jersey as part of a royal trip to the Channel Islands.

Jean Drydale said she was creating a wildlife haven to show off to the King and Queen at the Best of Jersey exhibition being held at the Weighbridge.

Ms Drydale, a volunteer at Samares Manor botanical gardens, said the lead up was "a bit surreal" and her staff had been telling her to "get my curtsy practice in".

'Passionate gardeners'

She said: "They are both passionate gardeners and the King is a keen beekeeper himself.

"We have got red campion, wild carrot, fragrant evening primrose and weasel’s snout - that’s an arable crop that’s dying out in the UK, there are only a few places where it grows so I have been collecting wild seed."

Ms Drydale said she had collected wild seeds to ensure native plants did not die out and continued to be grown in Jersey’s fields and hedgerows.

She said: "The King will appreciate the fact that we’re doing this to encourage more people to plant pollinator patches and encourage more insects, bees and butterflies.

"He knows all about his wildflowers but probably won’t know there are wildflowers growing in England that don’t occur in Jersey - cow parsley, cornflower or corncockle.

"We love the species we’ve got and he’ll recognise that."