Mass saplings planted for bumblebees
Five-hundred saplings are to be planted around Simonside, Northumberland, as part of a scheme to protect bumblebees from unpredictable weather.
Goat willows are the earliest flowering trees and are vital pollinators from mid-March, when spring weather is uncertain. These saplings will therefore provide a critical nectar source for bees in years to come.
The scheme is being supported by Northumberland National Park's Good Nature Fund, in order to give queen bees a helping hand to breed and increase.
Funding is sourced from donations and a visitor payback initiative, and is ringfenced for nature conservation.
Simonside, which is situated in the Coquet Valley, has recorded 14 different species of bumblebee in the past, including uncommon mountain bumblebees and moss carders.
"Observations of single willow trees in flower in the spring have shown counts of 30 to 40 bumblebees each," said Shaun Hackett, the park's biodiversity ranger.
"At this time of year, all the emerging bees are queens with the potential, given sufficient sustenance, to nest and produce 100 offspring in a season – resulting in 3000 to 4000 bees for each tree!"
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