Big Devon Meadow Count to take place following 2024 pilot

A conservation group has encouraged people to get involved in a survey to help record meadows and the wildlife within them.

The survey, named the Big Devon Meadows Count, is aiming to record meadows of all sizes anywhere in the county.

Registration for the count, a partnership between Moor Meadows and Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC), is open from Monday until 30 May.

DBRC manager Ian Egerton said: “We need opportunities to encourage, nurture and support peoples’ interest in the natural environment, including skills such as plant identification.

“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.”

Moor Meadows said those taking part didn’t need to be plant experts.

DBRC and Moor Meadows, with funding from Devon Environment Foundation, have created short videos on wildflower and grass species to help with plant identification.

The survey season will run from 1 June to 31 August, with meadow owners selecting one day for them to be carried out.

Moor Meadows said creating a more detailed record of plants would help spread knowledge on how to manage meadows and wildlife and results would lead to better protections.

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

Ms Wannell said: “When first asked to take part in the survey we were slightly nervous, being total amateurs, but the video and information pack explaining how to undertake the survey were very clear and helpful.”