A Devon conservation group is encouraging anyone who looks after wildflower-rich land to discover more about the flowering plants in their meadows this summer.

The Big Devon Meadows Count is a partnership between Moor Meadows and the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre to create a more detailed record of plants outside of nature reserves.

The survey season runs from June 1 to August 31, when meadow-owners select one day to carry out their survey and record their findings.

Moor Meadows member Tessa Wannell took part in the 2024 Big Devon Meadows Count, surveying a 2.5 acre meadow on a sloping hillside near Postbridge.

She said: “We are very proud of the meadow and it gives us joy throughout the summer months, not only from the amount and variety of flowers which appear, but also the noise of the crickets and the hum of the bees, as well as the numerous fluttering butterflies we regularly see.”

The Big Devon Meadows Count aims to spread knowledge on how to manage meadows to help wildlife.

Results will lead to better protection of important wildlife sites that might currently be known only to the landowner themselves.

Changes in modern agriculture, along with pressures of development and other land use such as commercial forestry, mean only 1% of the UK’s land area is now species-rich grassland.

Overseeing the project is Dartmoor-based conservationist Lisa Schneidau, who said: “Last year’s pilot project brought encouraging results. So imagine how many high quality meadows and new County Wildlife Sites could come to light in the 2025 full rollout of the Big Devon Meadows Count! That’s why we want to involve as many Devon meadow owners as we can this year to survey their meadows and find out more about these special places.”

To register for the Big Devon Meadows Count, visit: https://moormeadows.org.uk/big-devon-meadows-count-2025/