WG Pollinators for Life Nature Fund Project Community Resource Pack 2015
Welcome This pack has been produced to complement workshops piloted during the Welsh Government Nature Fund Pollinators for Life Project in 2015, delivered in partnership with Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Caerphilly County Borough Councils. As part of the project, Gwent Wildlife Trust developed and delivered workshops aimed at community groups and individuals interested in helping pollinators throughout the region and the information generated is presented in this pack. Through the workshops, we aimed to raise awareness of: What we mean by the term pollinators ; Why pollinators are important, and What we can do to help them. A Welsh language version of this pack is available from Gwent Wildlife Trust.
Getting to know pollinators The term pollinators refers to a group of insects that pollinate plants, usually as a result of collecting food. When we think of pollinators, we generally imagine bees busily collecting nectar for honey but the group also includes solitary bees, bumblebees, butterflies, parasitic wasps, moths, hoverflies, true flies and some beetles. Honeybees Moths Hoverflies Solitary bees Parasitic wasps Butterflies Bumblebees Some beetles
Why pollinators are important Over 250 000 species of plants, including more than 100 food crops such as tomatoes, apples and strawberries, are pollinated by insects. When insects crawl over flowers collecting food, grains of pollen stick to them and are transferred to the stigma of other flowers. This fertilises the plant so that it produces fruit and seed for the next generation of plants. The list below includes a range of plants that are insect pollinated how many do you grow? Gwent Wildlife Trust developed a pack of cards to accompany this resource pack to raise awareness of the vital contribution that a range of pollinators makes to food production. These are included at the end of this pack for you to print and use when thinking about what crops you want to grow and which insects pollinate them. You may get a few surprises! Almond Apple Apricot Asparagus Aubergine Beans Beetroot Blackberries Blackcurrant Blueberry Broad bean Coconut Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Chillies Chives Courgette Coriander Cucumber Strawberry Melon Coffee Elderberry Fennel Garlic Grapes Leeks Onion Pear Peas Pepper Plum Pumpkin Raspberry
What you can do to help pollinators The main challenges currently facing pollinating insects are habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution and the effects of climate change. Loss of habitat results in loss of food and nesting sites. Changes in land management practices, for instance, growing monocultures and the resulting reduced diversity of plants over large areas, can have a negative impact on insects. Additionally, the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides has had a detrimental effect. Monitoring of pollinating insects, particularly butterflies, is demonstrating that climate change is having an effect on populations of many species. The basic needs of insects are the same as of any living creature, including humans that is for food, water and shelter. Gardens and community greenspaces provide opportunities to create havens for all types of wildlife, pollinators included. The benefit of improving your local area for wildlife is that it is then on your doorstep you don t need to go anywhere to see it. Organisations such The Wildlife Trusts can give you advice about encouraging a range of wildlife to your garden, allotment or other green space. One of the big problems facing pollinators currently is the use of pesticides and other artificial chemicals. Pesticides don t just harm what you think of as pests they impact on other insects, birds and mammals, building up over time to harmful levels. You can encourage a more natural balance of pests and predators by providing plants that attract them or provide shelter for them, for instance leaving dead stems in place over winter or creating piles of logs. Another simple measure you can take is to use peat free compost or make your own. Peat bogs are being destroyed rapidly but take a very long time to form we will not be able to replace this habitat within our own lifetimes. As well as locking carbon into the soil (and preventing further climate change), peat bogs are home to a variety of wildlife that will be lost if we continue to destroy them.
Planting for pollinators Pollinating insects need food, generally in the form of nectar and pollen. The best way to provide this food is to plant a wide variety of locally native* wildflowers that provide nectar from March to October. We are suggesting native flowers because insects have adapted to these plants and derive most benefit from them. However, many other flowering plants are extremely beneficial to pollinating insects and including them in your planting schemes will help a wide range of wildlife. As demonstrated in the previous section, many fruit and vegetable plants provide food for pollinating insects as well so combining these with flowers (as in companion planting schemes) can only be a good thing. Combining comfrey with fruit trees is a particularly beneficial combination many pollinators love comfrey so it helps to pollinate fruit as well as provide useful nutrients. As the roots are deep, they don t compete with the fruit trees. Overleaf you will find lists of beneficial plants categorised into native and non-native, as well as the times of year that they flower. One thing that will help a wide range of wildlife, particularly pollinating insects is managing any areas of grass so that it is allowed to grow all summer. Gwent Wildlife Trust has developed grassland management methods in their Eastern Valleys Living Landscape area (covering Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen and part of Caerphilly) based on a single cut in September. The most important aspect of this method is to rake and remove the cut materials. This decreases the fertility of the soil and reduces the chances of other more invasive plants such as docks and thistles becoming established. Even after the first year, you will have more wildflowers at very little expense. Some areas, such as banks, edges of playing fields and roadside verges are perfect for this you will be doing your bit for pollinators but not losing any amenity value. Another tip, dandelions are one of the best early wildflowers for pollinating insects. Queen bumblebees come out of hibernation in March and the dandelion is often one of the only flowers providing both pollen and nectar. At this time of year, the early queens need both of these to build up the strength to produce the next generation of bumblebees. * We have also included plants that have naturalised, that is, were introduced into this country originally, have become established in this country but do not have a detrimental impact on native plants or animals.
Native Dandelion Daffodil Forget-me-not Wild pear Crab apple Willow Violet Bugle Cowslip Elder Teasel Aquilegia vulgaris Blackthorn Hawthorn Dead nettle Self heal Wild thyme Ragged robin Soapwort Wild clematis Chicory Knapweed Bramble Honeysuckle Angelica Daisy Dog rose Clover Yarrow Foxgloves Scabious field Bluebell Buttercup Wood and devils-bit anemone Ox-eye daisy Ivy Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Hellebore Winter aconites Snowdrop Garden or naturalised flowers Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Comfrey Marjoram Mint Snake s- head Single flowered dahlias fritillaries Borage Sedum Delphinium Rosemary Jasmine Globe thistle Geranium Lilac Verbena bonariensis Dogwood Sweet pea Hollyhock garden types Alliums Rudbekia Nicotiana Fruit blossom Peony Sunflower Marigold Sage Campanula Buddeia davidii Thyme Dill Cosmos Euphorbia Bergamot Fennel Parsley Clematis cirrhosa Winter honeysuckle
Nettles naughty but nice Nettles might not be your first choice of plant for a garden or green space but they are one of the best wildlife plants you can have. They provide food and shelter for over 40 species of insect, including 4 types of butterfly that only lay eggs on nettles the comma, peacock, small tortoiseshell and red admiral. Aside from this, nettles can be turned into a highly nutritious liquid feed and the seeds are excellent for humans and birds. These are just a few of the benefits of nettles find lots more information on the internet and the many books written about them. Going to seed Many gardeners are becoming interested in growing plants on to save seed, particularly of heritage varieties. The flowers of a range of vegetables and herbs are excellent food sources for pollinators later in the summer. Members of the umbellifer (e.g. carrots, parsley) and alliums (leeks, onions) are particularly good. Ivy Ivy often gets a bad press but is another excellent wildlife plant. It is particularly good because it provides berries for birds in the spring and then late nectar for pollinators in the autumn opposite to many other plants.
Companion planting As mentioned earlier in this document, flowers and vegetables can be planted together in beneficial relationships. Here are some examples: Nasturtium with cabbages caterpillars are more attracted to the nasturtiums so leave the cabbages alone Chives drive pests away from tomatoes Dill attracts hoverflies and predatory wasps Yarrow attracts hoverflies and ladybirds (larvae then eat aphids) Nicotiana tobacum or hyssop protects against cabbage white Calendula hoverflies, ladybirds and lacewings feed on aphids and help pollinate courgettes Dandelions early pollen and nectar, good in orchards Mint with cabbages deters flea beetles Sweet peas with runner beans attracts pollinating insects to the beans
Providing water Most insects need to drink water but they can t always find suitable sources. The main problem is finding places they can safely drink insects often drown in swimming pools because they don t have anywhere to land. A simple solution is to fill a shallow container with pebbles, stones or logs and top up with water so that the level is just above the materials. You will need to make sure that there is always a supply of water available in the same place. If you already have a pond, make sure there is a safe, shallow area for insects to get a drink. Providing shelter Honey bees live in hives managed by humans but wild bees, including wild honey bees, bumblebees and solitary bees live in nests they make themselves. Other pollinators need sheltered places for overwintering, e.g. some butterflies hibernate and hoverflies need somewhere to shelter. One step you can take to provide shelter for pollinating insects is to leave some patches of flowers and shrubby plants in shaded quiet corners of your grounds or green space. The hollow stems and seed heads of many plants, such as nettles, teasels and poppies, provide ideal winter shelters for a variety of insects. Some species of bee build nests underground, in banks and logs and need some patches of longer grass or other plants to shelter the entrances to their nests. Wild honey bees look for hollow trees to build their comb in so try not to be too hasty cutting down old trees. Log piles, with twigs and leaves in them, and compost heaps will provide overwintering for many insects, including bumblebees and solitary bees.
Further information Action Plan for Pollinators in Wales Wales Biodiversity Partnership How to make a wildlife garden, Chris Baines Lots of websites, including Wildlife Trusts, Plantlife & Buglife