12/06/2026
Brilliant bee identification session this week with at the fabulous plant library
Some top tips!
- Solitary bees (there are loads, more common ones include red mason bees, mining bees and leafcutter bees) are messier and more useful pollinators than honey bees and bumblebees
- 70% of bees nest in the ground
- Thin soils in full sun are best for mining bees, but some species will tolerate clay - they love a patch of bald lawn, some bare earth or even better some self binding gravel. Some mining bees even return to the same place to nest
- Lots of solitary bees are active early in the year so plants lots of early Spring flowering plants like Crocus tommasinianus.
What else to plant?
- a good mix of native and non native plants work best. Solitary bee favourites include Campanulas, Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis); and Cat’s Ear (Hypochaeris radicata).
So embrace your scrappy lawn!
Honestly once you’ve started looking for the little bees you’ll find it hard to stop! 😂🐝
There’s more plants for pollinators on my website, link up the top.
Happy weekend 🌿