Last autumn, the Life on the Edge (LotE) team and our partners at the National Trust have begun creating a network of species-rich grassland seed donor sites around South Devon. These sites will be critical to the long-term success of the project, providing benefits for people, invertebrates, and biodiversity long into the future. Read this article by LotE conservation officer, Sam, to find out why these sites are so important and how they will help restore a coastline buzzing with life.

Originally written by Sam Skevington, Conservation Officer, for the Life on the Edge Blog, December 2024.

The challenge:

Since the Second World War, the extent of Britain’s wildflower-rich grassland has declined by 97%, owing to the rise in intensively managed monocultures and species-poor pastures. Pollinating insect populations have suffered resultingly, in particular specialist species such as the Six-banded Nomad Bee (Nomada sexfasciata), Britain’s rarest bee. Here in South Devon, pockets of rugged coastline have provided refuge from the agricultural intensification developing inland and as such, a plethora of Britain’s rarest invertebrates cling to life on the edge of our coast and its scattered remnants of species-rich grassland.

The vision:

By restoring wildflower-rich grasslands along our coast we can reconnect disparate, isolated populations of rare invertebrates, transforming our coast into a corridor along which invertebrates and other wildlife can travel and recolonise areas of their former range; this is the principle of Buglife’s B-lines project, creating a nationwide network of wildflower-rich habitats for invertebrates to support nature’s recovery.

Donor fields are crucial to the success of these projects since they offer a stock of wildflower and green hay seeds to be harvested and proliferated throughout South Devon for years to come. As such, we aim to create 100 hectares of seed donor site containing a minimum of 15 wildflower species. We will also enhance the number of wildflower species in 365 hectares of grassland along the South Devon coast.

Where are we now?

This autumn’s planting efforts have targeted the far reaches of our project area: Wembury Barton Farm and Coleton Barton Farm, where 5.5 hectares have been sewn with nearly 40 species of wildflower. At both sites, different methods of ground preparation have been tested, helping us to learn and improve our practices as the project progresses. These species-rich fields will be ready to harvest after several years of growth.

Planting for the remainder of 2024 has been focused at Wembury Barton where 11.2 hectares have been sown using a locally harvested seed mixture, rich in Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) and composites (relatives of the Daisy and Dandelion). Yellow Rattle, as a semi-parasitic plant, attaches to grass roots and supresses their growth, thereby allowing other wildflowers in the sward to flourish. The composites in the mixture are the preferred foodplants of one of LotE’s key target species, the Hawksbeard Mining Bee (Andrena Fulvago). By oversowing the grass-dominated pastures in the area and incorporating yellow rattle and composite species, it is hoped that natural colonisation will allow the wildflowers to spread over steeper areas that are inaccessible to machinery.

Looking forward:

This year we have made the first steps towards delivering our vision of a coast where wildlife thrives. We hope that in summers to come, if you are walking from Wembury to Warren Point beside the craggy cliffs with the waves roaring to your right, you can cast your eyes inland to fields carpeted with colour and buzzing with life. Likewise, if you are strolling down the drive to Coleton Fishacre, you might look away from the startling sea view and around to find the valley replete with wildflowers and full of countless bees, butterflies and other insects.

If you share this vision, there are lots of ways to get involved with the LotE project:

Our conservation and community grants are available to support projects which deliver social, environmental, and biodiversity benefits to the LotE project area.
We run regular volunteering sessions where you can support our conservation work through hands-on activities. In the past these have included wildlife ID and surveying, scrub clearance, meadow management, and bulb planting.
Follow our work on social media, or subscribe to our newsletter, and share our story with friends and family!

If you’d like to find out more about our project or how you can get involved, reach out at [email protected].