Pollinators

Enjoy FIT Count surveys? Could you help with 1 km squares surveys? If you live near one of the red squares on the map and are interested in taking part contact UK PoMS for more details ukpoms.org.uk/one-km-square-…. Map shows approximate location of the PoMS 1 km survey squares.

Seguimos mostrando cómo evolucionan los tulipanes y narcisos en el jardín, mientras nuevos colores anuncian la llegada de la primavera. La floración del árbol del amor (Cercis siliquastrum) aporta ahora tonos rosados intensos y es un gran atractivo para los polinizadores 🌸🐝

Less than a month until the start of the 2026 FIT Count season on 1 April! The Flower-Insect Timed Count survey asks you to spend 10 minutes counting all insects that land on a patch of flowers, to help monitor abundance of #pollinators.🌻🪲🐝 More info @ ukpoms.org.uk/fit-counts

Wasplike yellow-face (or masked) bees are considered pollen robbers or pollen thieves, but there’s more to them than meets the eye. Find out more in Athayde's latest blog @ scottishpollinators.wordpress.com Image © USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory, Wikimedia Commons.

Nice to see Managed for Wildlife signs popping up around Scotland. Jim Connell from Aberlour Glebe Garden reports that the signs have brought questions of interest from garden visitors. The group are juggling new garden construction projects with seed sowing and school visits.

The Power of Pollinators - A day of talks in Perth on 27 March between 9:30 and 3pm at the Leonardo Boutique at Huntingtower. The event is free - find out more here ... eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-power-of…

A really simple hedge blossom sequence that can provide about 3 months of blossom from late Feb to late May: Cherry Plum > Goat Willow > Blackthorn > Hawthorn. Strengthen it with further willows, Wild Cherry, Apple, Pear, Wayfaring Tree, Field Maple, Dogwood, Elder, Gorse etc.

Estonia may be the smallest of the Baltic nations, but when it comes to pollinator provision it thinks big. The ‘Pollinator Highway’ in Tallinn, the Estonian capital, is an environmental winner and something the country is rightly proud of. Blog @ scottishpollinators.wordpress.com

A welcome garden visitor this morning. What insects are popping up in your gardens around Scotland? Why not add an update here?

Lovely to meet Steve Willis of BTO at the recent Garden for Life forum hosted by KSB in Stirling. BTO's Garden BirdWatch project is a good example of how interests in nature are connected; with bird watching and pollinator watching mutually supportive. bto.org/get-involved/v…

1/8 Mild weather and some sunny spells this week are likely to tempt out some early pollinators, so here are some species to look out for. The first brownish queen bumblebees will either be Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum) or the white-tailed Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum).

Cuckoo bumble bees don’t have a good reputation, but they should be admired and valued for their adaptations that allow them to overcome the defences of their hosts. These bees of ill-repute are in fact evolutionary marvels. scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2026/02/23/wit…

We have a guest blog today from Laurie Carruthers, looking back on a busy year at the Denmarkfield Rewilding project near Perth. Early indications are that 2025 bumblebee numbers were strong, and there was good news for butterfly numbers too. scottishpollinators.wordpress.com

Palm trees are crucial for wildlife, human nutrition, building materials and commodities such as medicines, industrial products and fibre. A great deal of these benefits depends on a range of poorly known, often dismissed and vilified weevils. Blog @ scottishpollinators.wordpress.com

Back in 1969 The Beatles released ‘Come Together’. A popular song it has stood the test of time. That neat song title could apply to Perth and Kinross’ drive to create nature-friendly networks. See our blog @ scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2026/01/26/com…

The roles of insect pollinators as safeguards of biodiversity, crop production & human health are well known. African baobab’s pollination ecotypes remind us of another aspect: pollinators greatly contribute to radiation & diversification of angiosperms. scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2026/01/19/par…

One of the best things you can do in your greenspace to help pollinators is to plant a native hedgerow. Now can be a good time to press ahead with planning and planting. In spring, when there are few flowers around, hedges can be particularly valuable.

Glasgow City Council's Green Connectors is a fantastic project, creating and enhancing greenspaces. Working with partners they connect sites and habitats, through meadow, hedgerows and woodland planting. Find out more @ storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c6a878…

Yet another fantastically illustrated and engrossing read from Raymond Cannon's blog. Fill your boots with this deep dive into scented footprints!