Get out and enjoy the blooming wildflowers of Shropshire

Plantlife’s National Meadows Day on Saturday 1 July 2023, the aim is for the public to get out and visit the nearby meadows to see them at their midsummer best.

Pasture at two conservation sites in Shropshire is filling up with wildflowers this summer, as work to restore old hay meadows is paying off for nature and wildlife.

The Long Mynd

Jinlye Meadows on the Long Mynd is cared for by the National Trust’s volunteers in partnership with the Stepping Stones project, which aims to connect patches of wildlife habitat across the Shropshire Hills and Onny Valley.

Now a species-rich grassland, alive with pollinators and insects; Jinlye Meadows has seen an increase in populations of the rare bilberry bumblebee, thanks to diverse mix of nectar sources.

The Marches Meadow Group, who manage and conserve wildflower-rich hay meadows in Shropshire and Powys, have worked alongside the Stepping Stones project to rejuvenate meadows in the area.

Charlie Bell, Project Officer for Stepping Stones said: “Sadly, meadows are in trouble. In the UK, 97% have been lost, mostly in the last 100 years. Many old meadows have been ploughed up and re-seeded with more productive mixes of grasses.”

“Fertilisers are often added to increase the growth of these dominant productive grasses, at the expense of finer grass species and wildflowers. This loss has had a devastating impact on the plants and animals that use meadows for shelter, food and places to raise their young.”

“But, there is still hope. Anyone can make a mini meadow in their garden by limiting the use of their lawn mower in late spring. You may have noticed signs saying ‘Late Cut Planned’ on your local roadside verges. Verges offer a great opportunity to create long, linear meadows that connect other fragmented patches of habitat.”

Seeds from meadows on the Long Mynd will be harvested in late July and spread over a field at Mose Farm, Dudmaston, near Bridgnorth. The field will be transformed from grassland into a species-rich hay meadow, as part of the Sandscapes project. This landscape-scale project aims to restore and reconnect areas of sandy habitats across the three counties of Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

Benthall Hall

At Benthall Hall, near Broseley, the garden meadows are managed by traditional methods to create stunning displays of wildflowers in the summer. A carefully timed schedule of scything, brush cutting and seed collection benefits pollinating insects at the property.