Brian and Angela Nicholas
Mole Valley, Exmoor
An unploughed meadow with over 170 species of plant recorded
Our river meadow nestled in the Mole Valley covers 14 acres and is a County Wildlife Site.
There is no record of the meadow ever being ploughed and it has taken 30 years of management and farming organically to reach its present state
Wild flowers such as Orchids and Yellow Rattle first appeared around the margins of the meadow and quickly spread across helped by the occasional flooding of the River Mole bringing seed down from Exmoor.
Over 170 species of plants have been identified by the Devon Botany Group, some of which are Devon rarities
In summer, the Meadow Brown and Silver Washed Fritillaries put on a spectacular show. The meadow is bordered by the River Mole with its Otters, Dippers and Kingfishers. There are seventeen bat species who feed over the meadow and Devon Wildlife Trust collect seed from the meadow each year for distribution to other sites.
Other "Me and my Meadow" stories
Mike and Gill Cunniam
Holne, Dartmoor
A one acre garden nature reserve - wood meadow, pond, plants for pollinators, bird and bat boxes. All helping to attract a lot more insects and bird life
Mary and Charles Staniland
Buckland-in-the-Moor
Four acres of species-rich meadows at Buckland-in-the-Moor that were just waiting for a change in the management in order to reveal their natural treasures.
Rebecca and Chris Gethin
Higher Pudsham, Buckland-in-the-Moor
A former pony and goat paddock is now a wildlife sanctuary.
Louisiana Lush and Julian Granville
Luppitt, Blackdown Hills AONB
The ongoing transformation of two farms - 200 acres of mixed meadows, woodland and wood pasture - to what they would have been like prior to the 1970s