GOING GREEN – March 2025
Bee Friendly Henley
I am sure that many of you, by now, would have seen one or two of our early pollinators as the sun warms up the soil and their wintering quarters. I was delighted when visiting the Forest of Dean last week to see wild primroses growing on verges and a few banks of early celandine opening fully in the sunshine. Perfect food for early pollinators – and they certainly need it.
A recently published report by the Bee Conservation Trust has said that last year (2024) was the worst year for bumblebee decline since records have been kept. The likely cause was very wet, cold weather in April through to June when bumblebees are at their most vulnerable. This is when the queen bumblebees functioning as single mothers must feed themselves and their growing larvae while also incubating the nest.
The Red-tailed bumblebee suffered dramatically, much more than any other common bumblebee. Their numbers dropped by 74% in England, Scotland and Wales. The White-tailed bumblebee numbers were down by 60%, the Tree bumblebee was down by 39% and the Southern Cuckoo bumblebee down 38%.
Bumblebees and other solitary bee populations are already struggling to survive here and 2024’s poor weather has done nothing to help this. However, there are things that we humans can do to support insects that are an essential part of our ecosystem. Henley Town Council is aware of this and that is why
becoming a Bee Friendly Town is a strategic part of their Three Year Plan for the town.
Getting the award of Bee Friendly Town would be great but the most important thing is for us humans to recognise that supporting insects is essential for all living beings, and it is simple to do.
The easiest thing anyone can do is grow a pollinator garden. That means growing mostly flowers that all kinds of insects can easily obtain the nectar and pollen. Flowers need insects to set seeds, and pollinators need the nectar and pollen to feed themselves and their young in many cases. You don’t even need a big space to have a pollinator garden – a window box, a plant pot, a raised bed whatever you have to fit in with your outdoor area which gets a bit of sun is ideal.
Henley Town Council working with Greener Henley are seeking local organisations to grow pollinator gardens in the town. To date we have had eager interest from two schools, two care homes, a church, the Henley College, a housing association, two important local charities, two residential streets and five shops in the town. And there’s more in the pipeline – would you be one?
All these groups have found somewhere they can put in some nectar-rich plants, a shallow saucer of water and shelter for solitary bees which could be as simple as a patch of untouched soil.
Although the scheme is called Bee Friendly Awards, you have probably gathered from the above that we are not just talking about honey bees. All sorts of flying insects pollinate plants – hoverflies, bees, beetles, wasps, butterflies and moths.
All these insects have evolved with different shaped mouth parts to feed from different plants. Some insects will only feed from one particular species of flower, whereas others may be able to collect pollen from several different flower species. That explains the different shapes of flowers and the different species of insects. If you are interested in finding out more about this, see Marc Carlton’s excellent advice on www.foxleas.com
The best chance of seeing a wide variety of pollinators in your ‘patch’ would be for you to grow several different types of flowers – a succession of all shapes and sizes which will provide food for the early spring to the late autumn pollinators, not forgetting night time pollinators.
Generally, the cultivated bedding plants don’t provide food for insects so should be avoided, and obviously herbicides and pesticides will kill them.
If you are a gardener and have suitable spare seeds or plants please encourage your friends and neighbours to join in, or give your extras to us and we will pass them on. We are also looking for ‘plant fosterers’ to bring on mini meadows in pots – interested? Please let me know.
If you are not sure about what to grow, we can guide you. Also, please tell us if you will be taking part either through [email protected] or the Town Council.
The important thing is to get Henley buzzing!
