Pupils from six schools in Stonehouse are helping Buglife to plant a meadow of wildflowers in Plymouth. The meadow will boost the City’s populations of bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other pollinating insects.
Creating this urban wildflower meadow is part of the Plymouth’s Buzzing project - a partnership between Buglife and Plymouth City Council with support from The Co-operative Plan Bee project and The Millfields Trust.
Duncan Allen, Conservation Assistant at Buglife said “we are very grateful for the help that local school children are giving us to transform a rather boring area of mown grass into a riot of wildflower colour and a haven for wildlife”.
“Our pollinating insects are vital to our wellbeing, economy and a healthy environment – much of the food we eat and the wildflowers that brighten up our countryside are relient on insect pollination. But our bees and butterflies have suffered drastic declines due to the loss of wildflowers in our countryside – through our Plymouth’s Buzzing project we can make a real difference to help the small things that run the world.”
Councillor Michael Leaves, Cabinet member for Community Services (Street Scene, Waste and Sustainability) said:"I'm delighted to see a wildflower meadow being created in this little corner of Stonehouse and the local community being involved in the planting. We need to take every opportunity to make the most of our environment."
Paul Mason at the Millfields Trust, who coordinates the Widening Horizons initiative, said “This is a fantastic opportunity for Year 5 children to get involved in such a worthwhile project and in doing so make the local area a better place to live in.”
Members of the public are invited to join Buglife on Saturday 10th March to help plant the remaining wildflowers – we have 6,000 plants so please come and help!