A wildlife charity is inviting nature lovers from Cornwall to join them in celebrating National Meadows Day.
Cornwall Butterfly Conservation (CBC) is holding an event at Lethytep farm near the village of Lanreath on Saturday 1 July, in support of a campaign to celebrate and protect our vanishing wildflower meadows.
Butterflies and moths rely heavily on this type of habitat and the public are being given a chance to see a number of different species at the event, which is running from mid-day till 5.00pm.
Chair of CBC and the owner of Lethytep Farm, Philip Hambly, said: “The farm is now a carpet of wildflower meadows which attract many species of summer butterflies, so it is the perfect spot to mark National Meadows Day.
“Entry is just £5 and will include food, drink, children’s activities, a tombola and raffle, with funds going back to Butterfly Conservation and the work we do to create and restore habitat to help Cornish butterflies and moths. Please come along and see just what can be done to save our meadows and butterflies!”
Details of the event can be found by visiting www.butterfly-conservation.org/lethytep
National Meadows Day is part of the Save Our Magnificent Meadows partnership, led by the conservation charity Plantlife.
This year more than 100 events are taking place across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to raise awareness of our vanishing wildflower meadows.
Project Manager for Save Our Magnificent Meadows, Claire Parton, said: "Meadows, once a feature of every parish in Cornwall, are now an increasingly fragile part of our national heritage. Today, just 3% of the meadows that existed in the 1930’s remain – that’s a loss of 7.5 million acres of wild flower grassland.
“National Meadows Day is the perfect way to explore and enjoy the flowers and wildlife of Cornwall’s magnificent meadows and understand their special place in our shared social and cultural history.”
For more information about the events taking place on National Meadows Day please visit www.magnificentmeadows.org.uk #NationalMeadowsDay
About the Save Our Magnificent Meadows partnership
Led by Plantlife, the partnership is made up of 11 organisations and is primarily funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The partnership consists of Cotswolds Conservation Board, Medway Valley Countryside Partnership, National Trust Wales, Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Plantlife, RSPB (working in Scotland and Wiltshire), Scottish Wildlife Trust, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Ulster Wildlife, and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.