Hay meadow restoration project

Why do they matter?

Hay meadows are important for the plants they support. A hay meadow can support an incredible 50 plant species/sq. metre! This diversity of plants, with many species coexisting in a small area, has developed over a long period of time and is partly the result of the different rates of growth and development of each species in the meadow. These species are largely stress tolerant rather than fast growing competitive species.

Such a wealth of plant species can in turn provide habitats for many different animal species including the brown hare, insects such as the great yellow bumble bee, and birds such as skylark, curlew, lapwing and twite.

In the Lake District, many meadows were ploughed up during the Second World War so that potatoes could be grown. More recently this has also been done to produce silage as winter animal feed.

Recent surveys suggest that there may be fewer than 10,000 hectares of unimproved meadows left in Britain, and only 1,000 hectares of upland hay meadow habitat.

However, there are still pockets of the country where hay meadows are more common because the type of land and the regional climate dictate the use of older farming practices.

In the north of England, traditional meadows are still found in the north Pennines, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. Here some of the higher altitude meadows support specialist plants species, such as wood crane's-bill and many of the lady's mantle species. There are also lowland meadows, characterised by their assemblages of more common plant species.

In addition, roadside verges near fields that have been converted to lush grasslands often act as a reservoir of meadow flower species. It also helps that many land managers are proud of their meadows and very knowledgeable about the species they support and the management required in maintaining them.

Our partners

We're working with the following partners to enhance, restore and manage flower rich hay meadows, using traditional practices to increase plant diversity:

• Lake District National Park Authority – Rusland Horizons Magical Meadows
• The National Trust (restoring species-rich grassland at National Trust properties)
• John Strutt Conservation Foundation (restoring species-rich grassland on land owned by the John Strutt Conservation Foundation)

We promote the landscape of hay meadows through events, educational workshops, walks and talks.

We spread the message about how and why we need to preserve our hay meadows.

We provide opportunities for people to grow to love and value this habitat, its beauty and its place in our landscape.

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