Buzzing About

The Dorset Wildlife Trust has a new campaign - it's called Get Dorset Buzzing. The aim was to get 2000Dorset gardeners planting flowers in their gardening which will attract pollinating insects.
They've done so well that already, by 1st April, over 2400 people had signed up to the Campaign [myself included] Last year, I blogged about the Slovenians getting the UN to recognise World Bee Day but bees are not the only insects which help pollinate our plants - don't forget beetles, hoverflies and butterflies.
My free pack has just arrived - containing a seed packet, plus an information chart, lots of tips to attract these helpful creatures into the gardens, a worker bee identification sheet [eight possible bumblebee types may be seen here in the South West - who knew?] and instructions for building insect hotels.

The following seeds are in the packet - Corn Marigold, Field Poppy, Borage, Phacelia, Cornflower and Calendula. I shall clear 1m² of earth and plant them out as soon as I can .

If you don't live in dorset, there are still things you can do. The website has heaps of helpful ideas.Why not create a Nectar Café ?

• Choose a sheltered sunny spot
• Place each plant in groups or drifts so that the colour and scent are easy to detect
• Prolong the flowering season – select plants so that you have a show of flowers from early spring to late autumn
• Flowers with a simple (often flat) structure, like old cottage varieties, are easiest for insects to feed from
• Remember to provide a night-time feast for moths. Plant night scented flowers like nicotiana.
• Many herbs are highly attractive to insects, so add them into the mix, or design a dedicated herb garden

I think this is a splendid initiative, and I am glad local firms are sponsoring this. If anything grows, or buzzes in, I shall take pictures!