Ah, a lovely rolling meadow in springtime bloom. What could possibly be more British — or more endangered? Flower meadows in the U.K. are declining at an alarming rate, putting some species at risk, according to a survey of eight English counties conducted by Wildlife Trusts, an organization that manages 2,400 nature reserves in the country. Conditions in all eight counties were deteriorating; in Worcestershire, three-quarters of “unimproved” grasslands are gone, while in Shropshire, almost half have been destroyed. Among the causes of the degradation are intensive, non-sustainable agricultural methods and a lack of understanding of proper meadow management. The meadows are (or were) home to large number of flowering plants and insects not found elsewhere in Great Britain.
