The four beasts are settling in at Fox-glove 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 or-chids, butterwort and fairy flax can thrive among the grasses, gorse and thistles.We chose Highland cattle be-cause they will eat virtually every-thing, unlike Continental breeds of cow which will selectively eat the flowers rather than the grasses, " said Sue Rowley, spokeswoman for Fox-glove 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 in-tensively grazed and was left alone last year to enable traditional wild meadow flowers to re-establish them-selves.

"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."