Rewilding meadow
Rewilding meadow holding a lot of life today ... bee's, butterflies, grasshoppers and spiders everywhere..
Rewilding Meadow: A Hub of Life in September
Written by Kevin | Totnes Gardening
"If you build it, they will come."
Today, I was working in one of our established rewilding meadows in Totnes, and I had to stop just to take it all in.
Usually, by mid-September, traditional gardens are starting to wind down. But in a rewilded space, the ecosystem is working harder than ever. The meadow was absolutely holding a lot of life today.
🦋 What we spotted today
It wasn't just a few flies. The diversity was incredible:
Late-season Bees: Still finding nectar in the lingering wildflowers.
Butterflies: Soaking up the last of the warm sun on the tall grasses.
Grasshoppers: You could hear them stridulating (singing) in the long stems.
Spiders: Weaving webs between the seed heads—a vital sign of a healthy predator-prey balance.
🌿 Why this matters
This density of life doesn't happen by accident. It happens because we stopped over-managing the space. By allowing the grass to grow long and native flowers to set seed, we have created a "high-rise hotel" for insects.
And because I work with quiet battery-powered tools, I didn't scare them away. Instead of the roar of an engine, the soundtrack to my work today was just the hum of wings and the chirping of crickets.
Want life like this in your garden?
You don't need a massive field. Even a small "wild island" in your lawn can attract this level of biodiversity.
