November is a great time to plant spring-flowering bulbs

by Sam Goodfellow

If you are trying to increase biodiversity in your school grounds, making sure there is a nectar source for insects throughout the months they are active is essential.

Donations of bulbs from parents is a good starting point, however, cultivated varieties of daffodils and tulips produce very little nectar so these should be avoided.

Plant the following bulbs for pollinating insects: snowdrops, crocus, early bulbous iris, grape hyacinth, snake’s head fritillary, winter aconite, wild tulip and bluebell.

Winter aconite

Snowdrops

Crocus

Snake’s head fritillary

 

If you plant bluebells make sure it is the native variety and not Spanish bluebells. Native bluebells have narrow leaves (1-1.5cm wide), narrow, tubular-bell flowers with tips that curl back, flowers on one side of the stem, drooping stems, a sweet scent and cream-coloured pollen.

Bluebells

Sixth formers planting bulbs in our school grounds

0 Comments

About Sam

Sam is a Biology Teacher at Simon Langton Grammar School for Girls.

Recently added

Conservation courses at Wildwood

Jacob, one of our sixth form students has embarked on a series of rewilding courses at Wildwood Kent. Read his account of his first day: One of our Big Grazers for Big Landscapes: My visit to the Blean Bison  Back in November I attended a conservation course at...

A Biodegradable project for schools

Introduction: As we live in an ever-changing world and a throwaway society, items are often thrown away with little care or consideration for the environment.  The soil is an important aspect of an ecosystem providing an environment for plants to grow in, by anchoring...

Events

No event found!

More interesting articles