A Devon meadow 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 - whose 600 members manage more than 2,700 acres of species-rich grassland on Dartmoor and beyond - and Devon Biodiversity Records Centre, which holds over 10 million records of Devon’s plants and animals.

From mini-meadows in town or village gardens to traditionally managed farmland and other large land-holdings, a meadow of any size, anywhere in Devon can be included in the survey.

Another seven sites are due to be further surveyed by ecologists as potential County Wildlife Sites this year.

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. Tessa 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.”

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

Tessa describes the early part of this period as the “highlight months when, as well as the necessary yellow rattle and a fair amount of self-heal, we are thrilled by the numerous orchids; a mix of southern marsh and heath spotted orchids, plus a few rare butterfly orchids.”

DBRC manager Ian Egerton said: “We know that to continue our work into the future, we need opportunities to encourage, nurture and support people’s interest in the natural environment, including skills such as plant identification. However high-tech the world gets, we still need to invest in these areas of expertise, because seeing a plant through a hand lens while kneeling in the grass is much more powerful than seeing the land from a satellite.”

Ian continued: “The Big Devon Meadows Count will allow people across Devon to come together to produce meaningful intelligence on the state of some of our most threatened habitats.

“DBRC is then able to provide that picture to decision makers, and communities alike.”

The Big Devon Meadows Count is open to anyone with a meadow in Devon and registration to take part runs to May 30 on the Moor Meadows website: https://moormeadows.org.uk/big-devon-meadows-count-2025/ 

The Big Devon Meadows Count was formally launched on Monday March 31 with an online event hosted by wildlife author and broadcaster Sophie Pavelle and featuring an illustrated talk entitled ‘What is a Meadow?’ by ecologist Jerry Tallowin.

This talk will soon be available to view on the Moor Meadows YouTube channel. 

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.”