Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) has extended its Summer Pollinator Scheme to 32 sites for 2023, further to the scheme’s success in 2022 and 2021. The sites will be left to grow ‘wild’ between June and September, with no grass mowing or herbicides.
The aims are to support wildlife and pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies, increase biodiversity, protect the environment and help the borough become more Carbon Clever.
Two years ago, RBC trialled the Summer Pollinator Scheme with just six sites. They then held a public survey to find out what residents thought, which found that 66% fully supported the scheme and a further 30% supported it provided the sites are well managed and can still be used by the public. 92% of respondents agreed the council should be encouraging insects like bees and butterflies.
For 2023, RBC have acted on three key requests made by residents who responded to the survey. These are:
- Leave more areas uncut: RBC have increased the number of sites which are uncut from six to 32; they will continue to review this and will look to leave more areas uncut in the future.
- Introduce wildflower seeds: the council provided 1,500 wildflower seed packs to the public in 2022 and will pilot the introduction of seeds on two of the summer pollinator sites this year.
- Keep the sites managed and not untidy: RBC are cutting the edges of the summer pollinator sites so they’re not untidy and are monitoring them to deal with litter and harmful weeds.
The Summer Pollinator sites include Rugby Road and Rushcliffe Arena, the play area at Greythorn Drive and six sites in Compton Acres. You can find the full list of the 32 areas at www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/environment/carbon-neutral-2030/summer-pollinator-scheme/.
Like to get involved?
You can help support summer pollinators by making some simple changes to your own garden to encourage bees, butterflies and other types of wildlife. Suggested measures include planting wildflowers, letting your lawn grow long and allowing naturally flowering plants such as daisies, clover and dandelions to thrive, or planting a chamomile lawn.
For more information, you can visit the Wild About Gardens website run by The Wildlife Trusts and RHS at https://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/ and the Grow Your Own section of the RBC website at www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/environment/outdoors/grow-your-own/. Happy wilding!