National Meadows Day - 1 July

#NationalMeadowsDay

 

The first Saturday in July is National Meadows Day.

The charity Plantlife says that in 2023, the day will celebrate the value of our species-rich grasslands, meadows included.  They provide sanctuary for wildlife, and they lock up carbon.  They are also vital to our wellbeing.

The day gives us the chance to find out more about our meadows and grasslands - and what we can do to help them.  

It really is frightening to think that 97% of British wildflower meadows have been eradicated since 1945.  This has terrible consequences for our bees and butterflies.  Nearly 1,400 species of insects rely on meadow plants to survive. 

There are of course things we can do about this decline.

We can all visit Plantlife's website and see what we can do to help.  There's lots we can all do, even from home!



7 things you could do on National Meadows Day is:

  1. Visit one of Plantlife’s 23 meadows
  2. Make your own mini meadow at home.  Plantlife's shop has wildflower seeds for sale
  3. Find local meadows in your area.
  4. Head to Instagram and take a look at Plantlife
  5. Why not do some art or drawing and try your hand at drawing a meadow?  There's a video on how to paint a meadow orchid using water colour here, for instance, which you could follow.   
  6. You could join Plantlife as a member to support its work or give a membership to a loved one who loves flowers and nature or make a donation
  7. Explore Plantlife's website to find out more about the work it does
  8. Take a look at the transformation a wildlife meadow makes in a year - all in 2 minutes!

Joel Ashton explains how to make your own mini-meadow at home.



In Scotland...

The Scottish Wildlife Trust have an appeal for their wildlife meadows - their Flying Flock and Herd can protect these but they need your help. Thetleir sheep and cattle graze their way through invasive species and that allows other species to thrive.  The rare plants come back, such as the vanilla scented greater butterfly orchid, and so do bees and other pollinators which need them for food and shelter.  Birds and mammals need these to feed - and so you can see how an ecosystem can be restored.  So how can you  help?  Find out here