Since 2012, Plymouth City Council has been committed to increasing the number of wildlife meadows throughout the city which have created a network of 120 sites for wildlife like bees, butterflies and reptiles. Over the years we have gained funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Peoples Postcode Lottery and Biffa to complete a few projects to improve and increase the wildlife areas in the city. Through projects like 'Plymouth's Buzzing' and 'Urban Buzz' volunteers helped to plant over 5,000 wild flower plug plants and 1,900 flowering bulbs to compliment the 52 kg of wildlife seed that has been sown. Since then we have continued to maintain, extend and create more wildlife areas, which have huge amount of benefits to us and the wildlife around us.
In 2020, COVID19 meant we were able to accelerate the opportunity to try something new, we reduced the grass cutting in over 900 areas across the city and allowed areas to grow. This created new wildlife areas and gave us the opportunity to see the potential for new meadow areas across the city. Watch the process and find out more in the video.
Plymouth Meadows 2020 from Fotonow CIC on Vimeo.
Wildlife meadows are managed by a single annual cut in late summer/autumn and removing the hay. Wild flowers thrive on nutrient poor soils so if managed correctly, each year they should get better and better!
We love celebrating our wildlife meadows so with this in mind we would love to see any of your pictures of your local wildlife meadows. Send them in to us using our Nature Plymouth Facebook or Twitter pages and use the #plymouthwildflowers and #plymouthparksmatter. Don’t forget to include the location and a caption describing why you love your meadow.
Aylesbury playing fields wildflower meadow can be found to the north of Aylesbury playing field, adjacent to Cann Woods Local Nature Reserve
Billacombe Green is a species-rich field of neutral grassland with the most abundant grass species being yellow oat-grass and red fescue with occasional cock's-foot and false oat-grass
Billacombe Road bee verge consists of low growing native plants such as red clover, lady's bedstraw and non-native annuals for a splash of colour
There are three of wild flower grassland areas within the Bircham Valley Local Nature Reserve
Blagdon's Meadow wildflower meadow is designated County Wildlife Site because of the presence of several Devon notable species.
Bond Street playing fields wildflower meadow can be found to the north and south of the playing pitches
A wildflower meadow has been created on an area which previously comprised amenity grassland
One of the best wildflower grassland areas in the city located between Cann Wood Local Nature Reserve and Aylesbury Cresent Playing Pitches in Whitleigh.
The wildflower meadow can be accessed from a variety of locations, including the western end of Coleman Drive and from Goosewell Road
A wildflower meadow area was created to the east and west of Park Avenue in Devonport Park
The wildflower meadow can be found to the south of Downfield Drive and is easily accessed by the footpath/cyclepath that runs along the southern edge of the houses
The grasslands occupy the moderate slopes between the mature woodlands and the wetland habitats on this site
In 2011 a small area of wildflower meadow was created just off Severn Place
In 2014 we created bee verges and pictorial meadows along this arterial route into the city
There are two semi-improved grassland areas within the reserve
Following road widening in 2012, the former railway embankment has been sown with wildflower seeds
Neutral grasslands with a moderate botanical interest are located towards the centre of the reserve
The wildflowers can be found along the road verge and they create a burst of colour around the subway entrances
There are several areas of wildflower meadows which are located to the west of Stamford Lane and to the west and south-west of the Jennycliff car park on Staddon Lane
Located between Drake's Circus, the University and the Plymouth Museum is a temporary pictorial meadow.
Our apprentices planted the orchard in Lakeside Drive in February 2015
The wildflowers can be seen near the corner of MilfordLane/Budshead Road
The wildflowers at Lawrence Road, Mount Batten can be seen on the steep bank to the north of Mount Batten Tower
The project involved local schools and communities in conserving bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other pollinating insects.
Mount Wise is designated as a County Wildlife Site because of the presence of limestone grassland and records of six Devon Notable plant species
We've transformed North Cross roundabout into a wildflower haven
These consist of low growing native plants such as red clover and lady's bedstraw and non-native annuals for a splash of colour
Wild flower seeds were sown in April 2014 to create the Plympton St Maurice Civic Association's Community Wildflower Meadow
The wildflowers can be seen to the west of Pomphlett Road, next to the Rhino sculpture
The National Trust created a wildflower meadow over three fields on their Saltram Estate in 2011
As part of the Grow West project, wild flower seeds were planted in early April 2014 along this busy road when entering the city from Cornwall
Wildflower meadows surround the playing pitches and clubhouse at Staddiscombe, just off Staddiscombe Road
Stonehouse wildflower meadow was created in October 2012 with the addition of 600 wildflower plug plants with help from a local school
We've created bee verges and pictorial meadows along this arterial route into the city
Wildflowers can be seen on a steep bank to the east of Trefusis Park
The wildflower meadow at Truro Drive Open Space can be seen either side of the path running through the site
This site is a beautiful little corner of quiet in the community of Tamerton Foliot, overlooked by the parish church and just off Church Lane and Tamerton Foliot Road
The site has been planted with 1800 wild flower plug plants and seeded with wildflower meadow mix
A section of the southern road verge along Wolverwood Lane is managed for wildflowers
An area of species-rich grassland is located next to the north-west of the reserve, just to the south of Canterbury Drive