Wildflowers bloom at conservation site in Shropshire

Jinlye Meadows on the Long Mynd is cared for by National Trust volunteers in partnership with the Stepping Stones project, which aims to connect patches of wildlife habitat across the Shropshire Hills and Onny Valley.

Now a species-rich grassland, Jinlye Meadows has seen an increase in populations of the rare bilberry bumblebee.

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Charlie Bell, project officer for Stepping Stones said 97 per cent of UK meadows have been lost, mostly in the last century, with many ploughed and reseeded with more productive grasses.

Fertilisers increase the growth of dominant productive grasses, at the expense of finer grass species and wildflowers. This loss has had a devastating impact on meadow plants and animals.

Seeds from meadows on the Long Mynd will be harvested in late July and spread over a field at Mose Farm, Dudmaston as part of the Sandscapes project, which aims to restore and reconnect areas of sandy habitats across Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire.