It was a breezy Tuesday morning when the team arrived at The Meadow in Sturton-by-Stow. This secluded and tranquil spot is also home to Honey & Milk, an independent spa.
The Meadow is part of My Square Metre, founded by environmentally conscious Ed Crowther. Ed is a fountain of knowledge about wildflowers, seeds, worms, and our fantastic echo system.
When asked about My Square Metre, he says, “Like most people, we adore nature. We recognise that the effects of human development have increasingly come at the cost of the flora and fauna we rely on. That’s why we set up My Square Metre, so anyone who wants to can help restore and protect nature, from one wildflower to acres of meadow.
Our goal is to plant 1 square kilometre (1,000,000 Square metres) by 2030, making a marked difference to our landscape and the life that resides in it.”
As a team, most of us feel at home sitting behind a desk, headphones in, heating on, and a cup of coffee cooling next to our buzzing laptop. However, we can all agree this morning of frolicking and learning in the wilderness was fantastic.
We all left feeling re-energised after such a wholesome morning, or was it demure if we are following the current trend?
We started in three teams and searched for different areas of the meadow using ‘What. 3. Words’. Once we had located these areas, often through wildflowers taller than our shortest team members, we had to identify the different flowers within that area and work out the percentage coverage.
We found wild carrot, musk mallow, daisies, yellow cornflower, spear thistle, Canadian fleabane, and so much more. We then took to the field to dig for worms, finding over ten wiggly friends in a short space of time. I can’t remember the last time I saw a worm; living in a busy town and working in a city doesn’t give me much time to admire the tiny creatures who are doing amazing things for our planet.
We then went on a seed hunt: ‘We’re going on a seed hunt, we’re going to find a big one, we’re not scared’ (points if you know the book reference). Different team members paired up to find both rare and common seeds; these seeds will be replanted in other meadows later in the year.
We’re all used to buying our fruit from the supermarket, shiny, clean, and often in wasteful plastic packaging, so picking delicious, sweet apples straight from the tree was a novelty we all relished. It definitely got me thinking about the benefits of going fruit-picking next summer.
The team left with an abundance of wildflower knowledge, a greater appreciation for our planet, and a determination to make greener choices, starting with planting wildflowers in our own back gardens. I personally can’t wait to see bees, butterflies, ladybirds and other wonderful wildlife enjoying the flowers I’ve grown.
If you’re a business owner looking for ways for you and your team to offset your carbon footprint, we highly recommend My Square Metre. We can’t wait to see our own eComOne purple meadow in bloom next summer.
