Join us for another spring episode of the Unfamiliar Wildflowers podcast - Little Lion Man. This month its No Mow May which means we are celebrating weeds and the 'Marmite' of wildflowers which is the bane of many gardeners but a lifeline to pollinators in the cold spring months.  We'll be joined by Dr Ros Shaw from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to hear how these weeds provide much needed forage as well as warmth in the spring months and  joining her for a her first 'bee walk' of the season on a cold March morning.  

We'll be hearing from the late Professor F. E Hulme who will be sharing his insights into a very 'familiar' wildflower. We'll be discussing different techniques to manage  weeds as well as why they're important for nature but remember some weed species need to be controlled by law (see below).

Welcome to our podcast, we are a group of enthusiastic but amateur podcasters so please be patient with us as we learn on the job!

Unfamiliar Wildflowers is written, presented and produced by Dr Grace Twiston-Davies. This podcast is inspired by the series of books by F. E. Hulme, Familiar Wild Flowers which was published over a century ago. Dr Twiston-Davies uses original antique copies of these books from her personal botany library to get a glimpse into a time when wildflowers were more familiar.

F. E Hulme (voice) - Dr Dave Rymer
Music courtesy of Coma-Media https://pixabay.com/music/id-11290/

Find out more about Wildflower Collective www.wildflowercollective.org.uk
Send us your comments or questions to info@wildflowercollective.org.uk
Join us on Instagram @wildflower_collective_CIC

Useful links from this podcast episode-
Join Plantlife's No Mow May Movement

BeeWalks are usually done between March-October on a calm, warm, dry day, but in this podcast we were out on the first week in March when temperatures rarely get above 10 degrees C. Nevertheless its important to go out early in the season if you can to look for any brave early emerging queens.
Home | BeeWalk Survey Scheme
Guidance on the methods that can be used to control harmful weeds - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Homemade Weed Killers | BBC Gardeners World Magazine

Find out more about Wildflower Collective www.wildflowercollective.org.uk
Send us your comments or questions to info@wildflowercollective.org.uk
Join us on Instagram @wildflower_collective_CIC