Betchworth B-Line : Creating Mini Wildflower Meadows for Pollinators
Norman Jackson
Norman Jackson
There is a serious decline in insect pollinators & wildflower habitats. Since the 1950s we have witnessed a rapid decline in the populations of pollinating insects and the area of wildflower meadows.
B-Lines are an emerging, nation-wide solution to reverse pollinator decline. They are a network of 3km wide ‘insect pathways’ running through our countryside and towns, along which wildflower-rich habitat are being restored and created as stepping stones. They link existing wildlife areas together, creating a network, like a railway, that will weave across the British landscape. Betchworth is ideally placed to support this important biodiversity project. The Coombe lies within the Surrey Hills B-Line, whose southern boundary runs through Betchworth Station. Furthermore, we already have a wildflower strip on the village green and many residents cultivate flowers, shrubs and fruit trees that nourish insect pollinators. But we can do more. With your help we aim to cultivate a patchwork of new mini wildflower meadows to attract pollinators throughout the village and establish a north-south extension of the Surrey Hills B-Line down to the River Mole.
Our aim is to contribute to this UK-wide biodiversity project by: 1 Creating a Betchworth B-Line by discovering existing wildflower meadows and adding nw mini wildflower meadows 2 Finding residents & businesses willing to sow and cultivate wildflowers and/or leave lawns, fields and verges uncut for natural wildflowers to grow. 3 Recording our effects and share our story of how we created a patchwork of mini wildflower meadows to help pollinating insects. |
|
One of the architects of the B-Line network, Louis Harrington-Edmans, Space4Nature Conservation Officer at Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, is assisting us with advice on appropriate wildflower seed mixes and some financial support for buying seeds.
While our initial focus will be in north Betchworth, we invite all Betchworth residents to join this community project by cultivating your own mini wildflower meadow. To become a ‘B-Liner’ please get in touch with RE-B team member Norman Jackson [email protected]. And do join our Zoom meeting on 8 February.
There is more information about the project on our biodiversty website https://rebetchworth.weebly.com/wildflowers.html
While our initial focus will be in north Betchworth, we invite all Betchworth residents to join this community project by cultivating your own mini wildflower meadow. To become a ‘B-Liner’ please get in touch with RE-B team member Norman Jackson [email protected]. And do join our Zoom meeting on 8 February.
There is more information about the project on our biodiversty website https://rebetchworth.weebly.com/wildflowers.html
Louis Harrington-Edmans Zoom talk Feb 8th 2023
Norman Jackson's Zoom talk explaining the work being undertaken to establish the Betchworth B-Line
