As we approach high summer, the sheer quantity of flowers in our last remaining meadows is quite breathtaking, a floral bonanza that provides a banquet for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. Indeed, flowers and bees are so intimately linked they’re impossible to separate. But, despite this intimate and symbiotic relationship, there’s a sharp sting in the tail: The latest Plantlife research reveals that the 97% loss of meadows works out at 7.5 million acres of wildflower habitat gone and that REALLY MATTERS to bees. Take a moment to consider the startling numbers:

One square metre of a wildflower meadow in June is home to an average of 570 flowers on a single day. So… one acre of wildflower habitat can contain over 2.3 million flowers. Multiplying that up, it works out that we’ve lost 17.3 trillion flowers from our countryside (and to put that into perspective, it’s as if every person in the UK was carrying a bunch of 260,000 flowers). These flowers would produce around 6,700 tons of nectar sugar. That’s tons of nectar sugar. And that would be enough to feed 621 billion bees… per day.

Often people ask “Where are all the bees?” The reply is simple: “Where have all the flowers gone?”

Against this tragic loss of flowers from the countryside, every little bit WE can do to bring some flowers back offers our beleaguered bees a lifeline. Of course we must never stop campaigning together to ensure meadows are properly valued and protected but WE CAN ALSO HELP FLOWERS AND BEES TODAY IN OUR OWN GARDENS >>>

• For those of us lucky enough to have access to a lawn, we can lay on a veritable feast for bees by ditching the mower and letting the flowers grow. The more wild flowers you have in your lawn – common plants like daisies, clover, selfheal and bird’s-foot-trefoil - the more nectar will be produced. THIS BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND you can help save the bees by taking part in Plantlife’s new citizen science survey Every Flower Counts. Simply count the flowers in a one-metre square of lawn and Plantlife will send you a ‘Personal Nectar Score’ showing how many bees your lawn can support. The results you send in will then play a part in this national citizen science initiative to create a National Nectar Score of the UK’s lawns. Every Flower Counts – free and fun to do - runs from 23rd to 31st May and I’ll be taking part. I do so hope you will join me.

https://www.plantlife.org.uk/everyflowercounts/

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o   Plantlife website: www.Plantlife.org.uk