A national meadow restoration project in the United Kingdom has a buzzing new marker of success: the return of a rare native bumblebee.
The project, called Stepping Stones, worked over the past several years to reseed old hay fields in the Shropshire Hills region with native wildflowers and traditional hedgerows. The goal was to create a supportive and safe habitat for local pollinators and wildlife, specifically the bilberry bumblebee, pine marten, and curlew.
Now, the replanted area is thriving with native wildflower species such as mountain pansy — and volunteers report that it is home to a robust community of bilberry bumblebees. Bilberry bumblebees are included in Natural England's Species Recovery Programme because of their "serious decline."
According to The Wildlife Trusts, the bilberry bumblebee once thrived across northern and western Britain, but populations have declined dramatically in recent decades. That decline is largely thought to be a result of habitat loss.
Stepping Stones project manager Charlie Bell told the BBC that the goal is to restore 97% of U.K. meadows that were lost over the last 100 years, making the restoration critical to native species such as the bilberry bumblebee.
"Many old meadows have been plowed up and reseeded with more productive mixes of grasses," Bell said. "Fertilizers are often added to increase the growth of these dominant productive grasses, at the expense of finer grass species and wildflowers. This loss has had a devastating impact on the plants and animals that use meadows for shelter, food, and places to raise their young."
A specific wildflower, yellow rattle, is critical for creating these new meadows. According to Stepping Stones, the plant slows down the growth of hay grasses by attaching itself to the root system, which allows pollinator-friendly wildflower species to grow.
Notably, British law designates Shropshire Hills as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, making the area's rejuvenation even more meaningful.
The Stepping Stones project is ongoing, as farmers and landowners pitch in to create and connect the region's heathland, flower-rich grassland, woodland, and wetland. And it's all to support and connect wildlife previously pushed out by a changing landscape.
As Bell said in a video statement, "We can ensure that these hills and valleys are not only beautiful but full of the sights and sounds of wildlife once again."
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