URBAN BUZZ POLLINATOR PLEDGE

Pollinators need: food, places and sometimes materials to nest and somewhere to hibernate. The Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff project recently launched the Urban Buzz Pollinator Pledge: a call for people to help pollinators in gardens and allotments across Cardiff by taking simple actions such as planting pollinator friendly flowers and leaving lawns to grow. The reason for doing this is simple. Insect pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies need our help and by creating flower rich spaces across the city we can establish a network in which they can thrive. Together, we can create a bee-friendly, pollinator-friendly city and play a role in making Wales a bee-friendly nation!

In her talk, Hayley Herridge, BugLife Cymru talked us through how to take part in the pledge, offering some top tips on how to improve gardens for pollinators and other wildlife.

You can take the #urbanbuzzpollinatorpledge by signing up to one all of these actions 🙌🐝🌳🌱🦋🐞 1: Grow plants for pollinators 🌱🌻

This could include sowing #openpollinatedseed of diverse plant families, growing a range of plants that offer pollen and nectar throughout the year, establishing a wildflower lawn and including a range of native trees, shrubs and trailing plants and maintaining wilder patches of nettle, bramble and dandelions in your garden. 🌳🌱🌻

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust Flower Finder is a fantastic resource for learning more about pollinator friendly plants.

2: Provide nesting habitat for pollinators

You can protect existing habitat in your garden, install a bee home or hoverfly lagoons, bug hotels, deadwood log piles and toad abodes and create a wild-space for nesting and overwintering invertebrates 🐝🦋🐸

3: Create a safe space for pollinators by committing to stop using pesticides in your garden or allotment including pesticides, herbicides and fungicides ☠️ 🐝🐞

This is only one action in this theme - considered the most important thing which would make a huge difference if we all do this. Think about where you are sourcing seeds and plants. We recommend the Seed Cooperative, Real Seeds, Tamar Organic and the Heritage seed Library for seed. For plants, try to source from local homegrown nurseries where possibl. You can follow the National Botanic Garden of Wales 'Saving Pollinators Assurance Scheme' - which haven't been grown using synthetic chemicals or peat compost.

4: Join Cardiff’s urban buzz community - including by challenging five friends to take the #urbanbuzzpollinatorpledge #wildcardiff and signing up to the Urban Buzz community on facebook.

To find our more follow link 🐝🐞🌞🌳🙌🐸 to The Urban Buzz Pollinator Pledge web pages which are a hub of information on pollinator gardening and provide lots of ideas and links to interesting downloads.