RESIDENTS are being asked for their ideas on where to plant new wildflower meadows around the Totnes area.

Last year the social enterprise group ParkLife launched a project to establish ten new wildflower meadows in and around the town over a three-year period.

The Ten Meadows project has already seen wildflower improvements at Longmarsh, Follaton Arboretum, Totnes Cemetery and Leechwell Gardens.

Now townsfolk have the chance to put forward other grassland sites that could also benefit from being sown with new wildflower and wild grass mixes.

ParkLife says Britain has lost 97 per cent of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s and those that do remain are often small and fragmented.

It is vitally important these existing meadows are protected, and new meadows created, says the enterprise group, as they create wildlife corridors, benefit pollinators and support ecosystems by providing habitat for a variety of insects.

ParkLife South West director, Keith Rennells said: “Wildflower grassland can contain more than 150 different plants, providing food and shelter for an array of insects, from bees and beetles to grasshoppers and butterflies.

“These, in turn, support many small animals and birds. However, the loss of good wildlife habitat means it is more difficult for species to move around the landscape. Connecting old meadows to new habitats is a vital part of the work.”

Residents can get involved by attending ParkLife’s community environmental volunteering projects through the autumn and winter months, with activities planned at Longmarsh, the Arboretum and in other local green spaces.

ParkLife is also inviting suggestions for meadow creation or enhancement projects in Totnes.

South Hams Council is supporting the project, and Cllr Tom Holway, the executive member for climate change and biodiversity, said: “Many of the green spaces dotted around the town are owned and managed by the district council, and we are supporting the Ten Meadows project as part of our commitment to the Council’s Climate Change and Biodiversity Plan. 

“Creating these wildflower meadows in the urban environment provide clear benefits to wildlife, but also inject welcome colour and interest into our sites, and perhaps will encourage our residents to try creating their own flowery pockets at the garden scale.”

To join a ParkLife volunteer project or suggest ideas for new wildflower meadow areas, email [email protected] or contact the group via Facebook or Instagram @parklifesw