A meadow is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grass, herbs and other non-woody plants. Meadows may be sparsely covered with trees or shrubs, as long as they maintain an open character. They may be naturally occurring or artificially created from cleared shrub or woodland. They can occur naturally under favourable conditions (see perpetual meadows), but they are often maintained by humans for the production of hay, fodder or livestock. Meadow habitats, as a group, are characterized as 'semi-natural grasslands', meaning that they are largely composed of species native to the region, with only limited human intervention. Meadows attract a multitude of wildlife and support flora and fauna that could not thrive in other habitats. They are ecologically important as they provide areas for…
