Last year, previously declining bee populations were granted some much-needed respite from one of the main insect-harming practices threatening their species.
Grass cutting!
During the first lockdown, roadside verges were left uncut, meaning bees and other pollinators were able to take advantage of the 700 species of wildflowers these narrow strips of grassland are home to.
With bees having a profound effect on the natural world, and pollinating one-third of the world's food supply, this knock-on effect was arguably one of the more welcome side effects to come out of the last year.
Currently, there is much enthusiasm for the introduction of management plans to support more wildlife-friendly road verges, going forward. Among these are Cambridgeshire County Council’s plans to introduce cutting times that are more sympathetic to the local flora.
Such efforts are also being expanded elsewhere as part of the "pardon the weeds, we’re feeding the bees" campaign, which was started last year.
Individually, we can all mirror these conservation efforts by moderating our own grass cutting practices at home.
It would be easy to overlook our gardens as being part of the wider preservation effort, but as with so many things...every little counts.
It’s for this reason, that ‘no-mow patches’ are being widely promoted this spring as part of the ‘No Mow May’ campaign, which encourages us all to lay off the lawn mowing... in small areas if not completely.
Close-mown lawns offer few opportunities for wildlife, and even just making some simple changes to a small area, can have far-reaching advantages in terms of attracting more bees and insects into your garden.
According to @plantlife.loveplants’ Trevor Dines ‘the size and shape of your no-mow patch is entirely up to you. ‘If you have a small lawn, try a 1 metre-square micro-meadow’ he says.