How does your garden grow? Wildflower count to find a feast for bees

Counting dandelions and daisies this weekend will sow the seeds to save pollinators, says charity

BRITAIN’S most prolific backyard wildflower is to be revealed for the first time following a survey taking place this bank holiday weekend.

Gardeners across the country have been asked by Plantlife, a conservation charity, to count the number of daisies, dandelions, clovers and buttercups on their lawns.

The charity said the request was part of a “citizen science” project to establish the first national nectar survey, which aims to prove how valuable gardens are for pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies.

It comes as the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has called for people to allow flowers to grow on their lawns instead of insisting on smooth green surfaces.

This is because nearly 7.5 million acres of meadows and pastures rich in wildflowers have been lost since the Thirties, removing a vital source of food for pollinators, many of which are now in decline.

According to Plantlife, one acre of wildflower meadow can contain three million flowers, producing 2lb 3oz of nectar – enough to support nearly 96,000 honeybees per day.

They say Britain’s 15 million gardens could become an increasingly important habitat for supporting species of bees, butterflies and other bugs looking for nectar.

To take part in the flower count, garden-owners should throw a ball to pick a random patch of lawn, mark out a metre square area and count the flowers they find, such as common daisies, red clover, dandelions, dove’s foot cranesbill and buttercups.

The information will be used to calculate how much nectar lawns are providing and how many bees they could support. The findings will also build up a picture of how best to support nature across the country through a “national nectar score”.

After the survey, the most abundant wildflower in British backyards will be known for the first time, said Plantlife.

It will also allow the charity to see if lawns can be managed differently to increase the national nectar score and help monitor changing trends over time.

Dr Trevor Dines, Plantlife’s botanical expert, said: “We’ll find out which flowers are most prolific on our lawns.

“And we will combine the results to produce a ‘national nectar score’, showing just how important Britain’s lawns are for our beleaguered pollinators.

“We hope this will make people look differently at their lawns and encourage them to allow more wild flowers to grow in support of millions of bees – because for them every flower really does count.”