'Let's get the Warwick district buzzing' - how you can help increase biodiversity in our towns and villages

A group of residents in the Warwick district have vowed to get our towns and villages buzzing - and they need your help.

Led by Cllr Janet Alty and Cllr James Kennedy, they are looking at increasing biodiversity by inviting people to plant bee encouraging plants in gardens and parks.

A green wall is being started in Talisman Square in Kenilworth and residents Fern Arnold and Louise Ransberry have worked with council contractors to leave the verges outside their houses to grow.

Cllr Alty said: "Have you noticed the bees this year? And the butterflies and other pollinating insects?

"During lockdown, the lack of road traffic and aircraft noise, and staying at home in our gardens has allowed the sounds and sights and smells of nature to come back into our lives.

"And not just in our gardens: so many of us have been enjoying Kenilworth’s wonderful green spaces in Crackley Woods, Parliament Piece, Kenilworth Common and Knowle Hill, on the roadside verges and in the green connecting corridors across Knight’s Meadow and other areas.

"And with the buzzing and the vibrant colours has come a new understanding of how dependent we are on our invertebrate friends, not just for the pleasure we get from watching them, but for our very existence."

The group are looking at ways we can help - and have pointed out schemes set up by charities such as Buglife and Plantlife.

Buglife's campaign is called ‘No Insectinction’ and aims to make room for insects to thrive through programmes like B-lines, creating 'insect super-highways' across the country based on people’s gardens, roadside verges and green spaces (www.buglife.org.uk).

Plantlife has a campaign called ‘Say no to the mow!’ (https://plantlife.love-wildflowers.org.uk/wildflower_garden/mynomow) to encourage wildflowers in the garden.

Kenilworth residents Fern Arnold and Louise Ransberry have taken things into their own hands and agreed with the council contractors not to mow the verges outside their houses.

Through the drought in April and May they stopped the mowers coming, and despite the lack of rain the wildflowers bloomed.

Fern said: “When the grass is allowed to grow the daisies, clover and buttercups are very pretty. Also longer grass looks greener than grass that is mowed.”

“Road verges are little strips of wilderness,” said Louise.

“They need a bit of love and affection from us all – and the best thing we can do is spare the mower until August.”

To find out more, contact Cllr James Kennedy via email ([email protected]) or on Facebook.

And you can take part in the Big Butterfly Count (https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org) which runs until Sunday August 9.