Hoverfly - Chris Gomersall 2020 Vision
Pollinators
Pollinating insects are the overlooked heroes of the natural world - critical to our ecosystems, food security, and biodiversity.
A healthy abundance of pollinating insects - bees, hoverflies, wasps, butterflies, moths - is essential for both human society and natural ecosystems. We are hugely reliant on invertebrates to pollinate crops, recycle nutrients in our soils, and support decomposition and natural pest control.
Insects are also a vital food source for many species, including birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals such as bats and hedgehogs.
The UK’s population of pollinating insects has declined by around 60% in just 20 years. There are many reasons for this decline, most notably pesticide use, the loss of wildflower-rich habitats, and the loss of freshwater across the wider countryside.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust is working to reverse this trend by creating, restoring and reconnecting pollen-rich and nectar-rich habitats, and by supporting communities, farmers and landowners to create more wildlife-friendly spaces where insects can thrive.
A hornet mimic hoverfly © Joan Burkmar
Wildflowers - Steve Aylward
Gillian Day
Marbled white butterfly on a common spotted orchid in a wildflower meadow © Tom Marshall
How you can help pollinators
There are lots of simply ways you can help pollinators and other insects at home and in your community.
