Beelines - Increasing pollinator habitat

Aim

Working with landowners across the South Downs, Beelines is planting new wildflower corridors to connect pockets of species-rich grassland.

Pollinators like bees and butterflies play a crucial role in helping ReNature the South Downs, ensuring we have a good diversity of plant species across the landscape. 

Simply sowing commercially sourced wildflower seeds is sadly not enough as often these mixes do not provide pollinators with the rich and long lasting food which they rely on.

Beelines is also developing a selection of native and locally sourced flowering plant seeds. 

This will provide pollen and nectar sources right across the flowering season, to support pollinators as they emerge throughout the year.

The story so far…

Beelines grants have funded the creation of new wildflower meadow, wildflower areas in schools, ‘bee banks’ as well as pollinator friendly boundaries and restoration of chalk grassland habitat across farmland.

Already we’re seeing some fantastic results, such as the transformation at:

• Sompting Wildflower Meadow, near Worthing
• Sussex Meadow
• Lewes Cemetery

With specialist advice from the conservation charity PlantLife, we are working with land owners and other partners to create wildflower corridors across downland, linking species rich chalk grassland to sites which are in need of pollination.

This project successfully funded on 19th December 2023