Wild Flowers in Walsall Attract Rare Bees.
Hundreds of wildflowers planted in Walsall are drawing rare bees to the area. This effort is part of the Purple Horizons nature recovery project, which aims to restore and connect heathlands near urban areas in the West Midlands.
Earlier this year, 60 volunteers planted various flowers, including Tormentil, Harebell, and Cat’s Ear, at Pelsall Common in Heath End. The primary goal of this initiative is to attract the Tormentil Mining Bee and provide food for these bees and their young.
Purple Horizons is a collaboration that includes Natural England, the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, Walsall Council, and the University of Birmingham. A significant focus of the project is to create habitats for bees and wasps in freshly dug soil.
According to the partnership, the Tormentil Mining Bee is becoming rare in the UK, largely due to the loss of heathland—approximately 80% has vanished over the last two centuries.
Aaron Bhambra, a researcher at the University of Birmingham, has been monitoring the project. He stated, “The wildflowers are starting to bloom and seem to have established well at the sites. We saw bees foraging on them while we were planting, so I am confident they are being utilized.”