IN PICTURES: Pollinator beds at Birkenhead Park

21 July 2023

Have you bee-n to see our pollinator friendly beds at Birkenhead Park?

Birkenhead Park is the proud home to three new pollinator areas that are thriving.

For the Annuals and Perennials beds, the park’s gardeners removed turf ready for wildflower seeds to be sown by the park’s Junior Rangers. These beds are specifically created to be the perfect habitat for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, flies and insects.

Orange, blue, white and pink wildflowers — The wildflower beds are in full bloom

In the Annuals bed, you can see species including Purple and White Alyssum, Californian Poppies, Cornflowers and Marigolds in a low-flowering display. These seeds needing to be re-sown every year to maintain the look of this area as the mix of flowers sown only flower for one year. Over in the Perennials bed, there is a mixture of perennials, annuals and biennials which will show some colour in the first year, but will take time over the following years to fully establish and flower. Species you can spot here include Cornflower, Musk Mallow, Field Scabious, Wild Carrot, Soapwort and Forget-Me-Nots.

Close up of a wasp on a blue wildflower with yellow wildflowers in the background. — The wildflower beds create the perfect habitat for pollinators including wasps and bees.

To create the Wild bed, rangers have reduced grass cutting to help encourage native wildflowers and grasses to grow.

To see the beds, take a trip to Birkenhead Park, or for more information about the work we are doing to support pollinators, visit the councils website.