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 sights

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

Road name Ward
Church Rd Bebington
Highcroft Avenue Bebington
Lever Causeway Bebington
Outside no 35 Stanton Road Bebington
Land adjacent to 103 Price Street Birkenhead
Brackenwood Road Brackenwood
Stanley Rd / New Chester Rd Bromborough
Mereworth Caldy
Thornton Common Rd / Clatterbridge Rd Roundabout Clatterbridge
Old Clatterbridge Rd by field, opposite Dutton Drive Clatterbridge
Old Clatterbridge Rd by Dutton Drive Clatterbridge
Noctorum Way Claughton
Union Street/Darlington Street Egremont
Mill Park Drive, Thornleigh Ave to Stretton Close Eastham
Stretton Close Eastham
Lowfields Ave Eastham
Wingate Rd Eastham
Plymyard Ave / Eastham Rake Eastham
Kelsall Ave / Helsby Rd Eastham
Scafell Close Eastham
Mere Park Road, Malmesbury Close, Willow Park POS Greasby
Oldfield Lane Greasby
Farr Hall Rd / Delavor Rd Heswall
Hoyle Rd Hoylake
Heathbank Irby
Thingwall Rd Irby
Mill Hill Rd Irby
Woodside Road Irby
Liscard Crescent/Monk Road Liscard
Liscard Crescent/Mill Road Liscard
Marlowe Road/Torrington Road Liscard
School Lane Meols
Forest Rd Meols
Roman Rd (S + N ends) Meols
Meols Parade Meols
Forest Rd / Birkenhead Rd Meols
Birkenhead Rd north verge Meols
Birkenhead Rd south verge Meols
Guffitts Close Meols
24 Deneshey Rd Meols
Town Meadow Lane, opposite shops Moreton
Oakland Vale (Seacombe Promenade) New Brighton
Mountwood Road Prenton
Howson / Gothic / Ionic St Rock Ferry
Old Chester Road/Highfield South Rock Ferry
Dock Road (in front of East Float Quay) Seacombe
Sandpiper Close Saughall Massie
Latham Way Spital
Landican Lane Thingwall
Royden Rd Upton
Norwich drive Upton
Upton Bypass Upton
Home Farm Road Woodchurch
Ackers Road Woodchurch
Caldwell Drive Woodchurch
Ferny Brow Road Woodchurch
Ganneys Meadow Road Woodchurch
Grasswood Road Woodchurch
Greenwood Road Woodchurch
Hoole Road opposite no's 9 and 14 Woodchurch
New Hey Road Woodchurch
Orrets Meadow Road Woodchurch
Pemberton Road Woodchurch
The Meadow Woodchurch
Walby Close Woodchurch