EAGLE eyed reader Alan Adamson couldn’t believe it when he saw a blooming wildflower display at Redditch Golf Club – on November 17.
And although many of the blooms won’t have survived the weekend’s cold snap, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust said the flowers would have provided vital sustenance to keep vital bees fuelled up for the winter months ahead.
“It looks like they have planted a really good wildflower mix and if there are any bees around they will have provided a valuable source of nectar for them,” said spokeswoman Wendy Carter.
“Bumblebees have been known to be still flying around in January and February and I even sheltered one at the weekend that had been knocked down by the weather, so these flowers are important.”
The flowers identified include hogwood, wild carrot and cowparsley which are good pollinators and good for insects.
“It has been incredibly mild and although this last little cold snap will have done for some of them they not only offer a beautiful display of colour but also are a valuable source of food,” added Wendy.
She added that wildflower mixes are easily available in garden centres and can be planted in any garden and advised householders to plant flowers that follow the seasons so that there was always a ready source of nectar for the bees.
