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‘I love it. It’s hope’: the mysterious self-willed wildflower meadow that seeded itself

The Guardian UK Sunday 23 August 2026, 14:00 UTC By Patrick Barkham 1 min read
Key Points

Farmer Derek Sayer let a boggy field run wild and just one annual hay-cut has led to remarkable biodiversityTucked away on a country lane, a small field bursts with yellow and pink flowers. Quail and whitethroats call from the thick hedges and the plants, including common centaury, yellow rattle and marsh and common spotted orchids, bounce with hoverflies and butterflies. More than 150 plant species have been recorded on Sayer’s Old Meadow, in north Norfolk, England, which is remarkable when...

Farmer Derek Sayer let a boggy field run wild and just one annual hay-cut has led to remarkable biodiversity

Tucked away on a country lane, a small field bursts with yellow and pink flowers. Quail and whitethroats call from the thick hedges and the plants, including common centaury, yellow rattle and marsh and common spotted orchids, bounce with hoverflies and butterflies.

More than 150 plant species have been recorded on Sayer’s Old Meadow, in north Norfolk, England, which is remarkable when there was just one – oilseed rape – growing there 21 years ago.

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Farmer Derek Sayer (PERSON) Sayer’s Old Meadow (ORG) north Norfolk (LOCATION) England (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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