Project Idea

The Wildflower Collective approached the Farming in Protected Landscapes team in January 2023 with an idea for a revolutionary dating agency; for wildflower meadows in our nationally protected landscape. The team at the Wildflower Collective find species rich ‘donor’ meadows and match-make them with ‘receptor’ sites.

As many farmers are choosing to incorporate options such as; GS7 -Restoration towards Species Rich Grassland (Stewardship), AHL1 – Pollen and Nectar Flower Mix (SFI) or IMP2 – Flower-Rich Grass Margins, Blocks or infield strips (SFI) into their grant agreements there becomes a greater demand for seed mixes across the UK.

As demand for seed rises, so too does cost. Cornwall has fairly unique environmental conditions with many land holdings being subjected to a maritime climate; one that is much wetter and saltier than other parts of the UK! In light of this, there are no seed mixes available on the open market to farmers that are appropriate for our soils or climate, or that contain the mixtures of the key species that are found here.

Project Partners

Dr Grace Twiston-Davies from Meadow Match wanted to use the project to help create more wildflower-rich sites across the Protected Landscape and so teamed up with Dave Oates from Rosuick Organic Farm, a forward thinking farmer and James Ruddick from Cornwall Council’s Nature Recovery Team.

What did FiPL Fund?

Below are some examples of what FiPL has funded for this project:

• Specialist Surveying of donor meadow sites & potential receptor sites
• Training for volunteers in practical meadow making
• Building/creating 3 ‘seed hubs’ across Cornwall. One in Section 07 – West Penwith, One in Section 09 – South Coast Central, and the main hub in Section 08 – The Lizard
• Equipment for an ‘equipment library’ allowing for the harvesting and processing of seed
• A trailer, so that seed harvesting equipment can be shared amongst farmers that are signed up to the Meadow Match project

Project Outcomes so far…

• 60 sites across Cornwall have been surveyed by ecologists
• 60 have have been pipelined for future meadow creation
• 30 have of land has been sown as wildflower meadows
• 3 successful ‘seed dating’ events have taken place; reaching out and engaging with local landowners

Find Out More

You can find out more about Meadow Match by visiting the Wildflower Collective’s webpage