Inspired by the idea of doing something positive for their local environment, Yvette Verner and her husband Mike bought a small field close to their home in the south of England.

With the bountiful assistance of nature they created a flower meadow which attracts a rich variety of wildlife, including badgers, deer and a multitude of birds and butterflies.

In this book Yvette tells the story of their meadow: how they designed the layout, selected and planted wildflowers, trees and hedges and spent many absorbing hours wildlife-watching.

Meadows such as theirs support large populations of plants, insects, birds and other animals, and are extremely important in maintaining the ecological diversity of our countryside.

Many meadow species that farmers and gardeners consider to be weeds are host to other forms of wildlife: the modest oxeye daisy alone supports over twenty species of insect!