The best hay meadows can contain up to 35 species of plants and grasses per square metre and up to 120 species in a single field.
			Hay meadows in Britain provide important nest sites for a globally threatened bird species, the corn crake (Crex crex).
			Plant species found in these habitats include wood crane's-bill, great burnet, devil's-bit scabious and yellow rattle, with less common plants such as globe flower, small white orchid and pepper saxifrage occasionally found.