Pollinating insects, such as bees, hoverflies, butterflies and moths, have been really struggling in recent years. A citizen science study suggests that the UK's flying insect population has declined by as much as 60% in the last 20 years. This is apparent to all of us who drive, since we no longer see a windscreen full of ‘splats’ when driving during the summer months.

One way that we can all help reverse this trend is to take part in Essex Wildlife Trust’s campaign, The Big Wild Seed Sow. The objective is to grow a patch of wildflowers in every garden in Essex. Did you know that 80% of Essex residents live in urban areas? Finding even a small patch of garden, or even a tub, trough or window box, to sow some beautiful, native wildflowers, will greatly increase space for wildlife throughout the county in 2023. 

Wildflowers provide habitat and food for so many insects, which also pollinate our crops and form an essential part of the ecosystem. What will the summer swallows eat if there are no flying insects? And what could be nicer than a sea of colours, buzzing with life, in your own garden during the heady days of summer?

You can collect a free packet of wildflower seeds from any of the Trust’s Nature Discovery Centres until the end of October. The 26 different species of seeds are all from native plants, grown in the UK, and the mix has been trialled on Trust reserves, to ensure that it contains something that will grow on all types of soil, in all parts of the county. So, everyone should be able to successfully produce a crop of insect-supporting blooms, no matter where they live.

All the instructions you will need are clearly printed on each packet, but it really is very simple: identify an area roughly two square metres for each seed packet. Prepare the ground by removing as much vegetation as possible (as other plants will compete with your seedlings for nutrients and moisture, and fallen leaves may shade them or cause them to rot off as they emerge) and raking the bare soil to break the surface a little. Scatter the seeds onto the surface of the soil and lightly tread them in, to ensure good contact between the seeds and the soil. Then, water. For best results, do this before the end of October (while the soil is still warm), or keep your seed packet in a cool, frost-free place until the spring, and sow them then. If you are using containers, try to get peat-free compost, if you can.

Then, all you need to do is wait, and maybe water occasionally if there is a really dry spell, especially in the spring or early summer. If the weather stays mild, you may see the first tiny green shoots appearing within a few weeks. But don’t worry if you don’t, as they may not germinate until the spring. Every species in the mix is winter hardy, so don’t worry if it snows this winter; your seeds/seedlings are equipped to survive and thrive once the warmer days return.

You will see that your seed packet has a QR code (this is a square that looks a little like a barcode) printed below the instructions. Scan this with the camera on your smartphone plot your patch on The Big Wild Seed Sow map. If everyone does this, we will be able to see just how much of Essex we will have, between us, clothed in wildflowers next summer.

And that’s all there is to it.

Sue Huggett, Campaigns Volunteer