Last night, thousands of us flocked around our television screens to watch the very first episode of BBC Wild Isles – and what a treat it was! From orca seeking out grey seals, to barnacle geese being chased by white-tailed eagles – it was a fascinating insight into the wildlife found right here in Britain and Ireland. The Wildlife Trusts were delighted to be part of the filming for this episode, with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s fabulous Clattinger Meadow used as one of the locations. Here, Eleanor Dodson, Digital Marketing & Communications Officer from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust shares more of the wonderful wildlife that can be found at this great spot!

Ever heard of the phrase ‘as like as chalk and cheese’? This expression was coined in Wiltshire and refers to the two different types of grassland we have in the county! Wiltshire is lucky enough to have both neutral hay meadows in the north and chalk grasslands in the south.

Clattinger Meadow at Lower Moor nature reserve is a hay meadow, unique because it is the only lowland farm in Britain to have never received an application of agricultural chemicals.

Rare snakeshead fritillaries cover the meadow in late April and up to eight species of orchid can be seen in May and June. Wildflowers such as meadow saffron, tubular water-dropwort, orchids and downy-fruited sedge carpet the land in summer and in winter, wading birds such as teal, lapwing and snipe forage on the wet meadows.

Seasonal hay cutting takes place in these meadows, which helps to remove nutrients and enables delicate wildflowers to survive alongside more nutrient-hungry and competitive grasses. That is why hay meadows with a long, unbroken history of traditional management are so rich in wildflowers. This rich species diversity classifies Clattinger Meadow as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

In contrast, Coombe Bissett Down nature reserve is a chalk grassland, producing some very different flowers. In 2021, we successfully completed a reversion project here, turning 70 hectares of arable farmland back into chalk grassland. In May and June, delicate harebells, bee orchid, pyramidal orchid and devil’s-bit scabious carpet the ground, providing pollinators such as the threatened marsh fritillary butterfly a habitat from which it can recover and thrive. If you’re lucky, you might spot Wiltshire’s county flower - the endangered burnt-tip orchid, which due to the loss of wildflower meadows across the UK is predominantly now found only in Wiltshire. Butterflies such as the adonis blue, chalkhill blue, dingy skipper and marbled white all favour this rich chalk grassland habitat, and our provision of a chalk butterfly bank has enabled them to flourish.

The UK has suffered a nationwide loss of wildflower meadows since the 1930’s due to agricultural intensification. This has had a detrimental impact on wildlife, with insect populations now threatened with extinction. These include essential pollinator species such as bumblebees and butterflies. In Wiltshire, just under half of the UK's lowland calcareous grassland habitat can be found, making the county a stronghold for insects and wildflowers. Our careful management of wildflower meadows such as Clattinger ensures these precious habitats are conserved for future generations to marvel.

Discover how we are delivering nature’s recovery in Wiltshire

Catch up on the BBC Wild Isles series on BBC iPlayer.