Pollinator Projects

Hay meadows rich in wildflowers were once commonplace across the British countryside. Meadows were highly valued and an integral part of the farming system providing winter feed for livestock, spring and autumn grazing and offering medicinal benefits to livestock.

In addition, meadows also provided a host of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and water retention. They provide an invaluable food source to all sorts of insects which in turn provide food for of other wildlife from Bats and birds to mice and frogs.

However, since the 1940’s there has been a substantial decline in wildflower meadows across the whole of the country but even more so, in the highly agricultural county of Cheshire, where we have seen a 99% loss. This loss is primarily attributed to the intensification of farming, switching from hay to silage production and the use of artificial fertilisers. This loss of meadows has had a devastating impact on the number of pollinating insects which are declining at an alarming rate.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s Pollinating Cheshire Project aims to reverse these distressing trends by working with private landowners, NGO’s, Local Councils, and parishes to create new meadows as well as restoring and enhancing existing ones. This is done by using green hay, brush harvested seed or plug planting. Local provenance is very important, so these methods, utilising seed from existing meadows means local genetics and adaptations are protected, whilst maximising the benefits for
local wildlife.

To enable us to do this, CWT have their own wildflower nursery to grow native wildflowers from seed collected in Cheshire.
So far 160ha of meadows across the county have been created, restored or enhanced. Over the next 3 years it’s hoped this will be doubled, working with more landowners and improving the connectivity of habitat across Cheshire. In 2023 20000 native wildflowers were grown from seed and CWT are aiming to grow 50000 wildflower plugs in 2024 of 36 species.