The Wild Flower plugs, especially selected to attract bees and other nectar loving insects, were planted last weekend by members of the Management Group.
One hundred plants were given to school, for the pupils and staff to plant in their empty tree nursery. The children will be able to watch them grow and learn to identify the flowers in the summer. They plan to collect seeds in order to sow them next spring.
We should be worried by the global decline of the bee population. The Varroa mite has spread from Asia to to all parts of the world except Australia and has a debilitating affect on bees. The use of chemicals by farmers, loss of habitat and adverse weather conditions are all thought to contribute to this decline.
There is plenty of information about bees on the web, but
Breathing Spaces is a good place to start
Pam Oldroyd has been sorting out her plants and has given us some large clumps of wild primroses, which originated from a wood in Essex, many, many years ago. I'm sure they will thrive in Buckle's Wood. Thank you Pamela.
