Bumblebee Conservation
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I made this design in collaboration with the fantastic Bumblebee Conservation Trust who do some really amazing work in protecting our bee species.
Did you know there are 24 individual species of bumblebee in the UK? 8 of those are at serious risk and a further 2 species have disappeared all together.
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Bees are a critical part of our food production, as well as being important from a conservation point of view.
Bees are expert pollinators. They assist over 80% of the worlds flowering plants to reproduce. Including most of the things we grow and eat.
Bees are in trouble because of a catastrophic loss of habitat. They need nectar and pollen to survive, but there are larger and larger gaps between their food sources.
Everything from hedgerows to wild land to grass verges are being 'tidied' or built on. In addition to this bees are being poisoned by agricultural pesticides. Climate change is another threat as bees are finding it hard to adapt and find suitable new homes.
So, what can we do to help?
If you have a garden, or even a little window box, plant bee friendly flowers.
I especially like these from Bee Bomb as they contain seeds from some of my favourite wildflowers such as Self Heal and brilliant blue Cornflowers.
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If you live in Scotland or are visiting why not take part in the Great Yellow Bumblebee hunt?
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Photo credit Nick Owens via Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Recording sightings in these remote areas is a practical way to help the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in their work to better understand how to help different bee species.
There are many ways to donate or volunteer to assist this excellent cause. Why not check out the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to see how you can get involved? Even making a purchase from their shop is a good way to help. They have some lovely identification guides and posters.
As a self employed artist it can be hard to commit to regular charity donations. So instead I decided to make a donation to the trust every time someone purchases anything from my Bumblebee range. You can see the collection here, including art prints, cosmetic bags, tea towels and greeting cards.
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