Pollinators and wildflower sites

Pollinators are a variety of species that are responsible for the pollination or fertilisation of crops and flowers, with a third of food crops, including broad beans, runner beans, blueberries and raspberries, being totally reliant on bee pollination.

A large proportion of pollinators are flies, including more than 250 species of hoverfly. Bees make up about a quarter of the pollinating insects and in the UK alone there are approximately 250 species of bee, 24 species of bumblebee, 225 species of solitary bee and just one species of honeybee. Butterflies and moths are also pollinators as well as bugs and beetles.

In line with the council's Climate Emergency Response, steps are being taken to prioritise pollinators. Dependant on the location of a verge, pollinators are prioritised in various ways, these methods can include:

• planting pollinator friendly plants
• not mowing grass verges when wildflowers of significance are in season
• reduced weed removal in the area of pollinator sites

Less maintained verges and weeds provide the perfect environment for pollinators and wildflowers. They provide a good food source and cuckoo flower or ladies smock can encourage native butterflies to lay on them.

View the full list of pollinator sites in Wirral

The council continue to add to the list of pollinator sites each year. To help add more sites to this list, you can suggest a location that you think might be suitable for a pollinator site. This site will then be assessed to see if it is suitable and reviewed yearly.

Suggest a location

Action Plan

The council’s initial Pollinator Action Plan, agreed in February 2020, aimed to trial two locations as pollinator sites. This has been extended to include many more sites - with there now being a total of approximately 65 pollinators and wildflower sites.

Continued engagement will be undertaken with residents, Friends Groups and Wirral Wildlife to develop the Pollinator Plan.

What is a pollinator or wildflower site?

A pollinator or wildflower site is an area of land that has naturally occurring wildflowers and is maintained with reduced cutting to help wildflowers grow and provide the perfect habitat for pollinator such as bees, butterflies and flies.

Signs will be displayed at all pollinator sites where possible, to inform residents and visitors that the area is a site that we are leaving to grow to protect bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

Full list of pollinator sites