Meadow timelines
Thousands of years to make a meadow
Meadows aren't natural habitats. They are the result of thousands of years of farming, from neolithic people who made clearings in the woodland right up to today's modern farmers with big tractors.
Ancient woodland
9,000 years ago
Clearings created by neolithic people
8 - 6,000 years ago
Harvesting of grass by bronze age people
4,500 years ago
Medieval communal field systems
1,000 years ago
Land enclosure. Rise of lead mining economy
4 - 300 years ago
Labour intensive hay meadow management
300 years ago
Introduction of tractors
60 years ago
Modern, intensive farm management
20 years ago - today
© North Pennines AONB Partnership / Marcus Byron
Print out the hay meadow history timeline
A year in the life of a hay meadow
We work with farmers to help them increase the biodiversity of plants, insects and birds in their meadows. Harvesting the hay later in the year, at the end of July, allows the plants to set seed to make new plants next year.
Grazing by cows and sheep - creates gaps for seeds to germinate
Autumn and Winter
No grazing from May onwards to allow plants to grow
Spring
Meadow flowers in bloom and Hay Time team busy moving seeds!
May - July
Harvest hay after seeds have set, store as winter food
End July
© North Pennines AONB Partnership / Marcus Byron
