HIGHLAND cattle have been drafted in to help conservationists create a wildlife meadow.

The four beasts are settling in at Foxglove Covert nature reserve, Catterick Garrison, where they are proving a big hit with visitors, particularly school parties.

Hector, McDuff, McGregor and Fraser will graze 20 acres of mixed flora to ensure that wild flowers such as orchids, butterwort and fairy flax can thrive among the grasses, gorse and thistles. We chose Highland cattle because they will eat virtually everything, unlike Continental breeds of cow which will selectively eat the flowers rather than the grasses," said Sue Rowley, spokeswoman for Foxglove Covert.

The cattle came from breeder David Maughn, at Coverhead Farm in Coverdale.

"We chose a dun, a brindle, a standard red and a white so we could tell them apart," said Ms Rowley.

The 20-acre area was previously intensively grazed and was left alone last year to enable traditional wild meadow flowers to re-establish themselves.

"We could then bring in machinery to cut it constantly in order to manage it, or allow the cattle to graze it, which is a much more environmentally friendly method," said Ms Rowley.

Because we have 20 acres and only four cattle, they will stay on the land all year round."