Grasslands

Species rich grassland is an amazing habitat which is home to an abundance of wildlife. Whether walking through a field of acid grassland in the Peak District, a hay meadow in the lowlands or even passing by a patch of road side verge in the summer months you can’t help but be in awe of the colourful spectacle alive with buzzing. Bees, butterflies, hoverflies, moths and beetles hum about their business moving from flower to flower. But it’s not just our insects which benefit from grassland. Birds, bats, amphibians, reptiles and small mammals all call these places home. 

Grassland isn’t just great for wildlife. It’s also a really important store of carbon, absorbing it out of the air and drawing it down into the soil. The complex root structures also help retain water, helping with flooding and also improve the health of the soil. 

Unfortunately, species rich grassland is now incredibly rare in our county, 99% of hay meadows have been lost and this alone is having a huge detrimental impact on our native wildlife.