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
Charlotte Oliver
South Hams
Charlotte's managing her fields as hay meadows and is rewarded with orchids, sweet hay and a host of insects, moths and butterflies.
Jackie Parsons and Joe Kelly
Holne
A smallholding with a late summer species-rich meadow, used by ewes and lambs and much other wildlife.
David and Jackie Crook
Buckfastleigh
David and Jackie have turned five acres of heavily grazed pony paddocks at Buckfastleigh into flower-rich grasslands alive with wildlife.
Cami and Jamie’s meadow
Dartington Estate
Cami Rose and Jamie Perrelet's stewardship of The Meadow, a wild pollinator and honeybee sanctuary, on the Dartington Estate, Totnes.