Why isn’t the grass being cut?

In 1930, there were wildflower meadows in every parish. Since then 97% have been destroyed (7.5 million acres). This area is part of the 1% of land remaining that is ‘unimproved’ grassland. Meanwhile, the number of flying insects has dropped by 65% in the south of England in the last 20 years. This is linked to pesticide use and habitat loss, and projected to continue at 2.5% each year.

Our pollinators are at risk. Honeybees only pollinate 5-15% of our insect pollinated crops. The rest is done by wild bees, wasps, hoverflies, moths, flies and beetles. Three types of bumblebees have become extinct. One in ten wild bees face extinction, and half the bee, butterfly and moths studied in 2013 (State of Nature Report) have declined.

However, small changes in our gardens can make a difference. Longer grass and pollinator friendly flowers are vital for invertebrates to thrive.

We plan to:

• Mow at the end of summer with intermittent “grazing”

• Seeding and plug planting which will increase the number of flowers. This should produce a wildflower meadow, which will eventually look more like ‘Great Dixter’ , rather than ‘neglected building site’!

• Create a seating area underneath the tree

References, Natural History Museum, Wildlife Trusts, Kew Gardens, Buglife International, Gov.org, The Independent, Royal Horticultural Society.