Back to hay meadows

Why are hay meadows important?

Landscape Value of Hay Meadows

Hay meadows make an important contribution to the landscape of the Peak District. The rich tapestry of plants, the different colours and textures throughout the year provide a welcome contrast to the largely green grass covered landscape over much of the National Park.

The dramatic seasonal changes in appearance reflect the cyclical management of hay meadows. 

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Wildlife Value of Hay meadows

Hay meadows can support an incredible 50 plant species/sq. metre! This diversity of plants, with many species coexisting in a small area, has developed over a long period of time and is partly the result of the different rates of growth and development of each species in the meadow.

Such a wealth of plant species can in turn provide habitats for many different animal species including the brown hare, insects such as the great yellow bumble bee, and birds such as skylark, curlew, lapwing and twite.

Take a virtual tour around a Peak District meadow [wmv : 33Mb]

Across the Peak District, hay meadows are affected by soil type and climate and this creates different ‘meadow communities’. There are four main hay meadow types in the Peak District and these are described below.

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A typical Peak District neutral grassland

The majority of Peak District hay meadows are a mixture of meadow vetchling, meadow clover and ribwort - this is typical of unimproved neutral grassland.  In addition these meadows often include more general species such as the ox-eye daisy and hay rattle.

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A typical Peak District acid grassland

A minority of Peak District meadows are found on acid grassland, largely on the shales of the Dark Peak, and include species such as betony and devils-bit scabious.

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Cowslip are commonly found on calcareous grassland

At the opposite end of the spectrum, representing the calcareous grassland more typically found in the White Peak, meadows include species like cowslip and lady’s bedstraw.

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A typical Peak District wet meadow

There are also a small number of wet meadow communities with species including marsh marigold and meadowsweet.

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