Dear Readers, after being Debbie Downer yesterday with my blog about the decline in Britain’s wader species, it cheered me up so much to read about a remarkable rewilding project close to Perth in Scotland. The 90-acre site was originally used for barley, and had undergone years of pesticide and herbicide use and soil degradation. When the field was surveyed before the project started, only 35 bumblebees were counted on the whole site.

The original site in 2021

Within two years, the number of bumblebees had increased to a staggering 4,056 individuals, and the number of species of bumblebee had increased from five to ten. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust always needs volunteers to walk particular area routes (transects) to record the insects every week, and how useful that data can be is clearly shown here.

The site wasn’t reseeded, interestingly, but seeds in the seedbank came through and thrived – although some would describe the plants as ‘weeds’, they are extremely useful for pollinators, and this particular field seems to be golden with hawkbit, a favourite with bees of all kinds.

The same field in 2023

A number of techniques have been used to increase biodiversity – the field was grazed by a small herd of cows, which help to fertilise the land naturally and create ‘mini-habitats’ as they feed. There is an orchard, and I saw with interest that volunteers are trying to encourage a meadow amongst the fruit trees by planting up yellow rattle. I hope they have more luck than we did in the Coldfall Meadow last year, but fingers crossed for our yellow rattle seed planted this autumn.

And back in June, a Northern Marsh Orchid popped up, where there had previously been barren soil.

Photo from Rewilding Denmarkfield – Northern Marsh Orchid

Goodness, it’s easy enough to despair these days, but what gives me hope is that, all over the country, small groups of local people are working to preserve, regenerate and protect their green spaces be they woods or parks, meadows or coast. And I have the sense that a groundswell is growing. This is a spectacularly successful project, but it’s not the only one! Let me know if anything exciting is going on in your area, and let’s give one another something to put a spring in our step.

You can find out more about Rewilding Denmarkfield on their Facebook page here or their Instagram page here. Well done those people!