PDFs and Other Downloads

Bumblebees of Devon Atlas + Conservation Guide – by Patrick Saunders, edited by Cathy Horsley

 

A great tool for managing land to help bumblebees.

Contents:
What are bumblebees? (nationally rare species in Devon)
Ecology (lifecyle inc. where they nest/pollen is crucial/61% of visits to pea family)
Distribution in Devon. Declines.

Gardening for Bumblebees (Perennial meadows produce up to 20 times more nectar, 6 times more pollen than annual meadow/dandelions, ragwort, thistle extremely important/vetches, clovers, broom, trefoil, bean vegetables, = top priority superfoods/include herbs, mints, deadnettles, comfrey etc etc/top meadow pollen producers = musk mallow, knapweed, ox-eye daisy/plant at least 10 of each flower species otherwise like 50 brands of baked beans/important to have sunny areas/single not double flowers
– list of specific recommended plants
– suitable nesting habitat
– wildflower lawn management

Meadows – timing of cuttings

Sowing treatments for different wild seeds

Audrey Compton’s tribute to Malcolm Spooner. Calling for records of both rare and common bumblebees.

Individual bumblebee species – which flowers they visit (useful aid to identification), nests, how to manage land to help, where found

Find it here

English Nature Research Report – Review of the diet and micro-habitat values for wildlife and the agronomic potential of selected plant species

Pdf here

Life on the Verge in Devon

 

Our roadside verges are some of the treasures of Devon. They can be a riot of colour, spilling over with flowers and rich with wildlife. There is immense potential for managing more of them for nature and for people.

 

See Moor Meadows Life on the Verge 2021 online talk by road verge restoration specialists, Dr Kate Petty, Plantlife’s Road Verge Campaign Manager, and Leo Gubert, senior ecologist at Highways England South West.

 

Plantlife guidelines can be downloaded here.

 

Devon County Council is encouraging communities to manage verges for wildlife. Find the guidance document here.

 

The location of all of Devon’s special verges can be found at Devon County Council’s environmental viewer, see under the Ecology/Geology tab here.

Email nature@devon.gov.uk if you would like to help manage a special verge or obtain more information (previous survey and management information for each verge is available).

Meadow insect Guides

Our two Meadow Insects guides, created by Dartmoor ecologist John Walters, show some of the butterflies, day-flying moths, bees, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, bugs and flies that can be found in the meadows around Dartmoor and beyond.

Details of their life histories is given, including how they spend the autumn and winter, to inform beneficial management of their habitats. Download these unique guides for free here.

Butterflies, Moths and Bees Guide No 1

Crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, bugs and flies Guide No 2

 

 

Yellow Rattle – All About

 

Ecology & establishment requirements:

For a definitive review of the ecology including establishment requirements of hay rattle read Duncan Westbury’s paper ‘Rhinanthus minor’ published in the Journal of Ecology in 2004. Free access. Find it here

 

Interactions with other plants:

A report by Malcolm C. Press and Gareth K. Phoenix on the ‘Impacts of parasitic plants on natural communities’. Find it  here

 

Plantlife short video about yellow rattle – Find it here

 

Using yellow rattle to restore wildflower grasslands Plantlife PDF.