Bee Walk
Bees, their importance cannot be overstated, without bees, the intricate balance that supports life as we know it could collapse. A third of our food is pollinator dependent. We have a species count of 28 bees at Heene cemetery. https://www.heenecemetery.org.uk/blog/the-bees-in-heene-cemetery-1 A Bee Walk transect has been set up between Heene Cemetery and Marine Gardens by the volunteers of Heene Cemetery. Connecting our green spaces. Bee Walk is a national recording scheme to monitor the abundance of bumblebees across the UK, providing early warning of bumblebee declines. The transect consists of three parts in varying habitats. Our first walk took place on a very warm Saturday afternoon, 21st March between 2-3pm, windless conditions.
Part one, starts with one lap of Heene cemetery with rich assembly of plants and flowers attracts an equally rich array of invertebrates, pollinators, butterflies and moths, meadowland origin. 6 Buff Tail Bumble bees (likely to be Queens) spotted on the new Goat Willow tree covered in flowering catkins. Alongside 7 honeybees.
Part two is a residential walk along Manor Rd, turning right onto Boundary Road continuing into Pevensey Road to Marine Gardens. A residential walk full of Hebe, Forsythia and Red Flowering current shrubs all attractions to the Bumblebees, 8 Buff Tails spotted. Some dandelions and three-cornered leeks in pavement cracks, thankfully have been left alone to flower providing food for the early queens coming out of hibernation.
Part three, one lap of Marine Gardens packed with ornamental and pollinator friendly shrubs with bird friendly hedgerow. Lined with purple Hebe shrubs out in flower and Lavender getting ready to flower. A wren spotted in the hedgerow and sparrows heard chattering. A new hedge regeneration replacement project is in place, supplied by the Woodland Trust. Also a wildflower patch 'to promote, protect and increase biodiversity'. Oh, and a sleepy ginger cat was spotted basking in the sun.
Walks should be completed once a month between March and October and identification data uploaded online.
The Bumble Conservation Trust, bumblebeeconservation.org, supply a great deal of resource online, for anyone interested in becoming a bee walker or setting up a transect. www.beewalk.org.uk
Ang White