I'm sure, for many, an idyllic pastoral scene would include a flower-rich meadow gently swayed by a light breeze under a warm blue sky.

This rather romanticised vision is understandable, for an ancient meadow in full bloom is uncompromisingly beautiful and sure to lift anyone’s spirit.

Sadly, it is now a rare sight in our modern countryside.

Since the 1930s it is estimated that the UK has lost a staggering 98.5 per cent of our wildflower meadows.

In Norfolk, a county of intensive arable farming, this rate of loss has been particularly heavy, meaning that traditional meadows have effectively disappeared across the county.

The 20th century changed farming; fertilizers and herbicides ‘improved’ grazing meadows, and with better drainage and irrigation a monoculture of tall, lush grass developed.

In addition, mechanisation no longer warranted vast quantities of hay to feed workhorses, and as a result the management of meadows declined.

Most of the remaining wildflower rich meadows, along with many of our heaths and commons, were ploughed up for wheat or root-crops during the Second World War, an........

© Norwich Evening News