0:00:02 > 0:00:05Our bees, butterflies and pollinating insects are dying out.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08This giant insect workforce
0:00:08 > 0:00:09pollinate our crops,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13and if they disappear, most of our favourite foods will vanish too.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19It's a complex crisis, but poor nutrition is leaving our insect pollinators
0:00:19 > 0:00:22vulnerable to pesticides and parasites.
0:00:24 > 0:00:29I'm Sarah Raven, and I'm on a campaign to wake people up
0:00:29 > 0:00:35and show everyone the simple steps we can all take to stop this quiet catastrophe.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39The thing is, if we all make a conscious decision
0:00:39 > 0:00:43to plant pollen and nectar-rich plants throughout the country,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46together, we can get Britain buzzing again!
0:01:02 > 0:01:05In this series, I'm going to be campaigning in our towns and cities...
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Good morning, everybody.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10..and showing everyone how we can make our urban landscapes,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12our gardens and our flower displays
0:01:12 > 0:01:15more friendly for bees and pollinators.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20But first of all, I'm going to take on the biggest challenge of all,
0:01:20 > 0:01:21the countryside.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24There's a strange irony here.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Whereas we seem to have got better at looking after
0:01:26 > 0:01:29our bees and butterflies in our towns and cities,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33we're just not doing enough in the countryside.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36It's like it's become the elephant in the room in this whole debate.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41The countryside is huge and it's a complicated subject.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44And so we all tend to feel powerless, like we can't do anything about it.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48But actually, we can, and we've got to face it head-on.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53So in this programme, over the course of a year,
0:01:53 > 0:01:58I'm on a mission to fill our countryside with the wildflowers our pollinators need.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02From village greens and churchyards to fields and farmland.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Our precious wildflowers are the unsung jewels in our nation's crown.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25They're woven through our history, our heritage and our nation's identity.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28And they support our bees, butterflies and pollinating insects
0:02:28 > 0:02:30with a rich variety of pollen and nectar.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39There's no doubt, when you're sitting in a place like this,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43that wildflowers are exceptionally beautiful.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49I think one of the reasons is that you just get this incredible joyous abundance.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52I just like the en-masse colour.
0:02:52 > 0:02:59But I think the thing about wildflowers is that they're just remarkably tough and good doers.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02You know, they're totally adapted to be here.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05They've evolved with Britain,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09and they're the plants that we really want to treasure and look after.
0:03:11 > 0:03:17But modern agriculture has transformed our countryside to meet our demands for food.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22It's now estimated that we've lost a staggering 98% of our wildflower-rich habitats.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27And added to that, we've come to rely on pesticides and herbicides.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Many scientists and conservationists now believe that these two factors
0:03:32 > 0:03:37are making it hard for our wildflowers and our pollinating insects to survive.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42It's a strange thing walking through a wheat field,
0:03:42 > 0:03:48because when you sort of see it, as you pass it in a car or on a walk or whatever,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52you feel that it's this beautiful productive thing,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55but then if you actually sort of stop
0:03:55 > 0:03:59and stand in a place like this,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02there's just not a single bee,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05there's not a hoverfly,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07there's not a butterfly.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11And it's because there are no wildflowers.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16Before herbicides and before pesticides,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20you would have had cornfield weeds right the way through this,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24you would have had corn poppies and corn cockle and marigolds,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and lots of splashes of colour.
0:04:27 > 0:04:34And the truth is, it's now really like a wildlife desert.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37There's almost literally nothing here.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52'But why should we care if our countryside isn't full of flowers
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'and buzzing with honey bees, bumble bees and pollinating insects?
0:04:57 > 0:05:02'Does it really affect the majority of us that live in towns and cities?'
0:05:02 > 0:05:06I think it's only when you come to a supermarket, or wherever you do your food shopping,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10that you can really concentrate and think about it,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14and how important our insect pollinators are to our everyday diet.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18And just when I'm standing here looking at all these things,
0:05:18 > 0:05:19apples,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21pears,
0:05:21 > 0:05:22strawberries, raspberries,
0:05:22 > 0:05:23nectarines,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25peaches,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27all things that require insect pollination.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And then, of course, there are others too,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33more exotic things like avocadoes,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38pomegranates, mangoes, coconuts, melons.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41And that, in fact, is only the tip of the iceberg.
0:05:43 > 0:05:49'Chris Shearlock, the Co-op's expert on sustainable food, gives a stark lesson in what the future holds.'
0:05:49 > 0:05:57One of the things I was doing before you arrived was to really do a shop for a family breakfast.
0:05:57 > 0:06:03And the thing that immediately struck me was how dependant we would be as a family
0:06:03 > 0:06:06on things that are insect pollinated that we eat, you know, all the time.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09All the time. And if they're not completely reliant,
0:06:09 > 0:06:10then they're certainly very helpful,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13in terms of increasing yields and reducing prices and so on.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14So it's very, very important.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I think if you want to illustrate this, it would be fun to take away
0:06:17 > 0:06:19the things which are reliant upon insect pollination.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- So let's start.- OK.- Strawberries. - Strawberries, yeah.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23- The other berries?- Most definitely.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25- Apples, peaches and nectarines. - Put them in the basket.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- We can't drink apple juice. - Apples are gone, or greatly reduced.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31- Smoothies.- Smoothie. Absolutely, that's out.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- Things like fruit yogurt.- Yeah. Jam. - That's out of the window, isn't it?
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Well, I'm not looking forward to breakfast now.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Am I allowed the rest, am I?
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Er... No. There's actually a few more things in there
0:06:41 > 0:06:43which need to come out, believe it or not.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46We've got coffee here, very much reliant on bees and other insects for pollination.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- Is that right? - So, let's put the coffee in here.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- What else? You've got a chocolate spread...- It's really looking pretty bad!
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Cocoa, believe it or not, requires bees for pollination,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58so let's put the chocolate spread in there.
0:06:58 > 0:07:05So, yeah, what you're left with is all the things which are wind pollinated or self pollinated.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09So, basically, if you want your lovely cappuccino of a morning,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11your pint of cider of an evening,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15and a bar of chocolate, you're done for, aren't you?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18That's absolutely right. A lot of the more interesting things to eat,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22a lot of the more vibrant flavours are gone without bees and other insect pollinators.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25What you're left with are things like porridge or bread.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26So it's going to be a bit dull.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31'So, in simple terms, without our bees and pollinating insects,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34'our supermarket shelves would be unrecognisable.'
0:07:34 > 0:07:37# Don't it always seem to go
0:07:37 > 0:07:40# That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
0:07:40 > 0:07:42# They paved paradise
0:07:42 > 0:07:45# Put up a parking lot... #
0:07:45 > 0:07:49But there are things that we could do all across our countryside and farmland
0:07:49 > 0:07:52to help reverse the declines and help our pollinators.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58One of the great things about travelling on a bus in the countryside
0:07:58 > 0:08:00is that you're really high up.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04And, erm, I quite like botanising at about 30 miles an hour!
0:08:04 > 0:08:10Much as it looks really beautiful on a beautiful summer's day like this,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14I kind of want to put myself back 40 or 50 years.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19It wouldn't just be like you've got now, a lot of wheat and arable.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23There would be a pond, there would be some arable, there would be some pastureland,
0:08:23 > 0:08:27there would be many more hedgerows, there would be smaller fields,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29and there would just generally be more flowers.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36I've arrived in Creaton, a small village in Northamptonshire.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43According to a recent survey, the rate of loss of wildflower species
0:08:43 > 0:08:47is higher in this county than any other in England.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49It's a stark fact, but Creaton,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52set in the heart of what William Blake called
0:08:52 > 0:08:54"England's green and pleasant land"
0:08:54 > 0:08:58is a typical example of what appears to be the perfect English village.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01But for our wildflowers and pollinating insects,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04it's now a fundamentally poorer place.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Hello, everybody!
0:09:06 > 0:09:09'I've chosen this picturesque village to start my campaign
0:09:09 > 0:09:12'and have arranged a meeting to talk to the residents
0:09:12 > 0:09:15'about what they could do to bring back the flowers and pollinators
0:09:15 > 0:09:19'to church yards, verges, and hopefully the village green.'
0:09:19 > 0:09:23We're trying to get people to grow more wildflowers,
0:09:23 > 0:09:29and also to perhaps think about allowing some of the common areas in the village
0:09:29 > 0:09:32to go back to wildflowers a little bit.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37We have this attitude that if something isn't mown, it's untidy, and it's not right.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41But unfortunately, the insects are in a state of crisis,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and we have got to actually just... we've got to face that
0:09:44 > 0:09:46and not keep thinking, "Ooh! It'll be tomorrow,"
0:09:46 > 0:09:50cos it isn't tomorrow, it's now.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53'Katie Masters, a young mother from the village,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55'and the head of the Parish Council, Stan Perrins,
0:09:55 > 0:10:00'took me off to explore potential wildflower sites.'
0:10:00 > 0:10:04- That's the new part of the churchyard.- It's through there. - And then there's the old...
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Well, it's a beautiful churchyard, isn't it?
0:10:07 > 0:10:08It is, yes.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13But the wildflowers in the churchyard have been mown to the edge of existence.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Potentially, it's a brilliant area where they could be encouraged.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21There's lots of flowers here, just waiting for the right opportunity to re-establish themselves.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24There's speedwell here, ground ivy, wood avens,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27field buttercup, meadow buttercup,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29and that's woundwort, that one's called.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Oh, and you've got caper spurge, they're self sown. That's nice.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Well, I think this would be just fabulous.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Well, it's a win-win, isn't it?
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Even the village green is not going to escape my beady eye.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Our national obsession with mowing does little to help wildlife
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and it costs all our councils a fortune.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53But just reducing the mowing allows plants like white clover to flower,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56which is hugely beneficial to our bumblebees.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00But if a corner of the green could be left to wildflowers and long grass,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02it would have a much bigger impact.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07Well, I think this would be perfect, cos then the kids have got their mown bit
0:11:07 > 0:11:08for playing football and things.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13Because it's in a public space, you're going to need to be able to see something fairly quickly.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- Yes, yes...- So...
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- Even if it's just a few bits and pieces...- Yes.- Yes.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20..as an act of good faith.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Now it's up to Katie, Stan and the rest of the Parish Council and the residents of Creaton
0:11:26 > 0:11:30to really get behind my ideas and match words with some action.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36So where shall we leave it? Can I hand the campaign on to you?
0:11:36 > 0:11:37LAUGHTER
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Will you talk to the Parish Council?
0:11:39 > 0:11:41We'll... I'll talk about it in the Parish Council.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45And can I come back in a little while, and just see how, how you're doing?
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- That'll be fine.- Good!
0:11:47 > 0:11:50And let's hope we'll have a flowery green by next year,
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- or part of the green. - Yeah, part of the green.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54And then next year, we can double it.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55LAUGHTER
0:11:55 > 0:11:57'It all seems so sunny,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01'but I'm sensing that once words have to be turned into deeds,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04'it might not be plain sailing.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08'Perhaps I'm asking for too big a change to happen overnight,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10'but at least I've got people thinking.'
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Like many of our rural counties, there are good reasons why Northamptonshire
0:12:20 > 0:12:22has changed over the last 70 years or so.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29After the war, the government decided there was a real need to modernise the nation's agriculture
0:12:29 > 0:12:32as food shortages and rationing lingered.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34We needed to grow more food.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40Across the UK, around 300,000 unproductive farms were given government aid,
0:12:40 > 0:12:45and an additional five-and-a-half million acres of land was used to try and double food production.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49So by the late '60s into the early '70s,
0:12:49 > 0:12:54with mechanisation and the invention of chemical fertilisers and pesticides,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57our countryside landscape was totally transformed.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03The Farrington family have been farming in Northamptonshire since the early 1900s,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07and have experienced the changes through the decades.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09LAUGHTER
0:13:09 > 0:13:12There's Daddy, girls, look at that!
0:13:12 > 0:13:15He's got his cap on as well.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Duncan Farrington was born and brought up on Bottom Farm
0:13:19 > 0:13:23and is the fourth generation of the family to run the business,
0:13:23 > 0:13:25and manages the land in partnership with his father, Robert.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29This is then my father, your...
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Great-granddad.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33There we are, pushing the hedges out.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40But, of course, we went from lovely little fields to great big prairies.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46Now this is where we're shoving a bar down in the ground, next to the tree roots,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50and we're going to lift the bar out in a minute, you can see this,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52and then you put some gelignite down and cover the hole up,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56and stood back, and it used to blow the roots out.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- Boom!- Yes.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06Arguably, the biggest change to our countryside was a nationwide government-funded scheme
0:14:06 > 0:14:11to uproot hedges to create enormous fields which could accommodate vast machinery
0:14:11 > 0:14:14suitable for large-scale food production.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Hundreds of thousands of miles of hedgerows vanished from our countryside,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22and along with them went the rich variety of wildflowers and plants
0:14:22 > 0:14:25that grew alongside the boundaries and borders of our fields.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32But at Bottom Farm, Duncan and Robert have started a number of projects
0:14:32 > 0:14:34to bring the wildlife back.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Where we've planted hedges...
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Here, the majority of the hedges are quick thorn, which is this.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46But then, in there also, you've got dog rose here,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48blackberry bush further down there, hazel,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50so the hedges that we've planted over the years.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54So they've been your native, deciduous hedge species.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56On our right is a field of rape seed,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59so that's the crop we want to grow as farmers,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01and we want to grow that to the best of our ability.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04And looking across that, as a farmer, that's not bad, is it?
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- It's nice and clean...- Yes, there's no weeds coming through, which makes a change!
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Hopefully, we're going to get lots of rape seed from that, you know, and that's brilliant.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14And then the six metres in-between here,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17we've let that down to naturally regenerating grassland.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19It's a wildlife strip.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24It's great that Duncan has put in these grassy margins,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27but if he added wildflowers into the mix,
0:15:27 > 0:15:32the wider variety of pollen and nectar could really help the insects that pollinate his crops.
0:15:32 > 0:15:38I want to convince him and all our farmers and landowners across the nation to do this,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41and it really could help both wildflower populations
0:15:41 > 0:15:44and our pollinators at the same time.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50But when it comes to growing wildflowers,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54there's one ex-farmer who knows exactly how to do it.
0:15:56 > 0:15:5825 years ago, in rural Dorset,
0:15:58 > 0:16:03Pam Lewis and her late husband retired from farming and bought a smallholding
0:16:03 > 0:16:07and turned cultivating wildflowers into an art form.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13So this is the meadow?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- Yes, this is the newly-created meadow.- Right.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18And in order to achieve this,
0:16:18 > 0:16:23I was advised to scrape away the particularly fertile top soil,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26which we did, about six to eight inches,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30and sow into the quite hostile subsoil.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- And I was lucky to receive seed of local provenance.- Right.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38So everything that you see came from local meadows.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43But it's extraordinary how the dyer's greenweed has predominated.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- It's literally like a carpet, isn't it?- It's formed a matrix.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50And the yellow rattle has actually seen off almost all of the grass,
0:16:50 > 0:16:55and it still gives the opportunity for some of these lovely nectar plants,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58such as betony and devil's-bit scabious and knapweed,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02all of which are plants that you could grow in your garden,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04including the dyer's greenweed,
0:17:04 > 0:17:09so anyone with a small garden could produce a similar result in a small way.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14You don't just have to have areas of meadow to have them in your garden.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18No, you can do it in a very small patch and still attract pollinating insects,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21which is what we all need to be doing, for sure.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26As well as an incredible flair for creating meadows,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Pam has discovered how to get a much longer lasting display.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38This is what I call a henge, because of its circular nature.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42- This used to be a horse school. - Did it?
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- And that's why it's... - In a circle, yes.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49I just sowed this and then let it progress in its own way,
0:17:49 > 0:17:54so it's a concentration of native plants, keeping my particular interest in knapweed.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58So, I mean, there are some already going over and there are some still to come, like this one here.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Yes, that's what I'm interested in, prolonging the season,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04particularly using one plant.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07By carefully selecting seed from the ones that flower early
0:18:07 > 0:18:09and the ones that flower late,
0:18:09 > 0:18:14the knapweeds in Pam's garden stay in flower for months, rather than just a few weeks.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19Apart from the knapweeds, have you done that with other plants as well?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Yes, I've done it with devil's-bit scabious,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24which I've rescued seed from our local cemetery,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27from a very early flowering form.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30And then, also introduced a later flowering one,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32so I've got a difference of six weeks.
0:18:32 > 0:18:39That's absolute genius, because one of the criticisms that gardeners have of wildflower meadows
0:18:39 > 0:18:44is that they see them as something that is very transient, that goes over so quickly,
0:18:44 > 0:18:49but if you can scatter these wider season plants through,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51then you're on to a winner, aren't you?
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Absolutely. And they're all top-class nectar plants for our bees, butterflies,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56the whole range of insects.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59And you've got wild carrot in here too.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Yes, wild carrot is, I think, one of the most beautiful wildflowers in the world.
0:19:03 > 0:19:09It doesn't attract bees and butterflies, but it is, as you can see, populated with soldier beetles.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11It's absolutely crawling.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Yes, it's their top totty.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16Beautiful.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23Pam has shown me how it's possible to make both a very long flowering and beautiful space,
0:19:23 > 0:19:28and at the same time, somewhere that's an incredible oasis for our native insects.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46But places like this are few and far between,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50and part of the problem for wildflowers is that we don't seem to care about them any more.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52And because of that, it's now estimated
0:19:52 > 0:19:56that one in every five of our wild plants is at high risk from extinction.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02I think over the last sort of century really, but even over my lifetime,
0:20:02 > 0:20:07we have got rather removed from our wildflowers and our natural environment.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09My kids, for instance,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12I'm not sure they would recognise that many plants.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14I mean, they know garden plants better.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21I think we are in danger of not valuing our wildflowers because we don't know them.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26It can only be positive if we reconnect more with our wildflowers,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28and if we do, we'll treasure them more.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31It becomes a virtuous circle, because the wildflowers in this country
0:20:31 > 0:20:35are the absolute foundation stone for just so much.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43'Back in Creaton, I've encouraged young mum Katie
0:20:43 > 0:20:46'to get a group together
0:20:46 > 0:20:49'to explore a meadow at nearby Coton Manor Gardens.'
0:20:50 > 0:20:54There are just so many things growing...
0:20:58 > 0:21:00- It just looks so lovely. - It's interesting,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02- all the different levels, isn't it? - I was just thinking that...
0:21:02 > 0:21:07It's like a rainforest. At every level, you've got something else to look at.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15I'm hoping that seeing this will encourage them to get going
0:21:15 > 0:21:19and really turn words into deeds back in the village.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25- Look at that mix of colours though. I mean...- It's beautiful, isn't it?
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- You know, you couldn't plan a garden to look as beautiful as that.- No.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Oh! All those little beetles in there.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Oh, look at that bee, with a stripy white bottom.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41As soon as you get your eye in, you just see layer upon layer
0:21:41 > 0:21:43of bugs and beetles.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- Now, what's that down there, on its own? Is that an orchid?- Oh, yeah.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Lilacy. Can you see, up there?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Can you see the seed pods there? They dry,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and the seeds will go down, back into the ground here.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07And it'll all start again.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10This small group seem to be convinced,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14but will that translate into action and more wildflowers across Creaton?
0:22:14 > 0:22:16I really hope so.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27'But it's not just about bringing colour to the countryside.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'Wildflowers do a whole lot more than that.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35'Some recent research has directly linked the decline in bee and pollinator numbers
0:22:35 > 0:22:37'to the loss of wildflower habitats.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41'And scientists have discovered that our honey bees and pollinators
0:22:41 > 0:22:46'need lots of different types of pollen and nectar to build their immune systems.'
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Without this diversity of flower food,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53bee colonies can become weak and have lower disease resistance.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Dr Simon Potts is a leading expert in this field of research.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Wildflowers in all their diversity
0:23:01 > 0:23:03help support diverse bee communities.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07In fact, there's more than 250 species of bee in the UK.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- Are there, really?- And different bees do different pollinating jobs, so we need them all.- Yeah.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13You can't just rely on one or two species.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17But for them to be good and healthy, they need really diverse wildflowers,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20because the flowers provide different sorts of food and nutrients for them.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25So I suppose you could think about us, if we just ate the same ready meal night after night after night,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27that would really be incredibly unhealthy,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30because we'd miss lots of vitamins and minerals and micro nutrients.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32The same for bees, they need a variety.
0:23:32 > 0:23:38As amazing as this science is, it really is just complete commonsense.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42If we take away their five a day, they're going to become malnourished and ill, just like us,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44and find it harder to survive.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46So if we have these diverse flowers,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49we can provide food for a diverse set of bees,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53these bees then go on to do the work to make sure many of our crops are pollinated,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57- and it means that us as a consumer, we have a great variety of food sources.- Yeah.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59So you've got almost the whole chain.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03And the foundation for our varied and healthy diet is here,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06in a wide selection of wild plants.
0:24:06 > 0:24:07Absolutely.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21Back in Creaton, in Northamptonshire, it's judgement day for my campaign.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Postcards of the village from the early 1900s
0:24:24 > 0:24:27clearly suggest a place
0:24:27 > 0:24:30less obsessed with mowing and more in touch with its wild plants.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34But will the Parish Council want to re-embrace their wild side?
0:24:35 > 0:24:39We'll begin with the biodiversity programme.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43We had Sarah Raven talking to a group of about a dozen or so of us
0:24:43 > 0:24:46about what we could do by way of a community
0:24:46 > 0:24:52in order to try and increase biodiversity in the village,
0:24:52 > 0:24:58more wildflowers and the various insects, etc that they would attract into the village.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01To do our bit for the environment, basically.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Because I've lived here all my life,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05a vast amount of my childhood
0:25:05 > 0:25:08was spent on that green with horses and sheep and cows
0:25:08 > 0:25:10and hay making, and all those things,
0:25:10 > 0:25:16so to me, I would dearly love a section of it to go back long, if that would be possible.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20How do people feel about that?
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Katie's passion for the campaign is obvious,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26but the rest of the Parish Council seem less enthused.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30But after further discussion, one of the councillors has a suggestion.
0:25:30 > 0:25:342010 is the UN International Year Of Biodiversity.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37With this in mind, I would like to suggest that the Parish Council
0:25:37 > 0:25:42co-ordinate the creation of a Creaton Village biodiversity group.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45The idea of forming a group is a start,
0:25:45 > 0:25:50but I'm worried that it could give the Parish Council the opportunity to deflect a decision.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54I fear it could be a while before there's any real action.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00But whilst Creaton debate my proposal,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04I'm off to find out more information about one of our favourite pollinators
0:26:04 > 0:26:09that will hopefully help me convince others to join my campaign.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Dr Nikki Gammans is working with farmers all across Kent
0:26:12 > 0:26:18to encourage them to sow areas of land with clover and wildflower habitat.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22The aim of the project is to make an extensive network of nectar for endangered bumblebees.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27This new habitat will then help them spread out into the county and multiply their numbers.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Oh, I think I might have caught a rare one here.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37- Yes, that's the brown bandied carder bee.- Ooh!- That one.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42Bombus humilis, and it's actually quite a rare bee here in the UK.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44It's one of our endangered bees.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49So as you go about catching, you're looking out for the rare ones,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52and how many of them are actually either extinct or nearly extinct?
0:26:52 > 0:26:57Of our 25 species, two have actually gone extinct over the last six years,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01seven of them are endangered, they're rare and threatened,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04and that's largely due to the loss of habitat for them.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Tell me a little bit about this particular site
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and why it's so important to the bumblebees.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Well, this has been worked here for the last ten years
0:27:12 > 0:27:15to create the ideal bumblebee habitat,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17so lots of red clover, lots of bird's foot trefoil,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20lots of vetch and vetchlings as well.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24That's why it's so important that I work with farmers and other landowners over this area
0:27:24 > 0:27:28so the bees can nest there, and hopefully, they will just continue to disperse out.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31So that's why farmers are so important in this system,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35to create habitat for these bees so that we can help their numbers
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- and of course help their pollination of their crops as well.- Yeah, yeah.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- The landowners help the bee and the bee helps the landowner.- Exactly!
0:27:41 > 0:27:44- It's a mutualism, they both help each other.- Brilliant.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04It was really great spending that time with Nikki,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06because it just made me realise that
0:28:06 > 0:28:09in the garden here, I'd be lost without the bumblebee,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11and a tomato is a really, really good example of that.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15The good old bumblebee comes in and it knocks the flower,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18cos it's quite a chunky insect.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22And that is absolutely crucial to the release of the pollen.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27And so then, the fertilisation and so fruit formation of that flower.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31And as you can see from this truss, you know, that flower is out now,
0:28:31 > 0:28:36but the others have already been fertilised and pollinated by the bee.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Can you imagine if I had to come in here and do the role of the bee?
0:28:40 > 0:28:44So each flower on each truss opened
0:28:44 > 0:28:47of all my tomato plants, I'd have to pollinate them myself.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49I mean, it literally would be a full-time job,
0:28:49 > 0:28:54and so without that kind of slightly bumbly, clumsy, sweet insect,
0:28:54 > 0:28:58I'm not going to get nearly such a good crop of tomatoes.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04'It's estimated that 84% of the crops we grow in Europe
0:29:04 > 0:29:07'depend directly on insect pollinators, especially bees,
0:29:07 > 0:29:12'and without this service, our food chain could collapse.'
0:29:15 > 0:29:19But it's not just farmers and the villagers of Creaton,
0:29:19 > 0:29:23every single one of us can do our bit to help the bees and butterflies
0:29:23 > 0:29:26and grow more wildflowers.
0:29:26 > 0:29:33I'm exploring a local meadow to collect a small amount of seed to establish back at home,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36and expert seed collector Sue Everett can show me how.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41There's a lot less colour
0:29:41 > 0:29:44than there was a month ago in this particular meadow.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46But that's because we are here to collect seeds, isn't it?
0:29:46 > 0:29:50Absolutely, and the window for seed harvesting is usually the first two weeks in July,
0:29:50 > 0:29:56at least in southern England, when a good proportion of the meadow wildflowers are in seed.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02Will you explain to me the sort of dos and don'ts of seed collection?
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Well, if you're collecting seed for your own garden,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08you're not going to collect very much,
0:30:08 > 0:30:13and you're not going to do any harm to either the site they're on or the species by collecting a little bit.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16- It's a bit like collecting blackberries in the wild.- Yeah.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20First of all, you need to make sure that you're picking seed that's ripe,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22and also, you need something to put the seed in.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25So you need to put the seed in a paper bag.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27I've just made one out of a bit of newspaper here.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29- So not plastic.- Not plastic.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31You look for the plants you want to collect.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33This is rough hawkbit,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36it's already produced its clock, and you just pull it off with your hands.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38That couldn't be easier, could it?
0:30:38 > 0:30:41- There's the seeds at the end of the parachute.- Beautiful.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Just stick them in your paper bag.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45We find some oxeye daisy.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47- There...- There we are. That's it. yep.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49There's a little bit of seed on there, as you can see.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51Just push it with your finger.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53- That's really ready for collecting.- Yeah.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57'If you are going to collect wildflower seed,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00'remember to gain the permission of the land owner,
0:31:00 > 0:31:03'and also a small amount of seed will go a very long way,
0:31:03 > 0:31:04'so don't collect too much.'
0:31:06 > 0:31:09And this is yellow rattle, isn't it?
0:31:09 > 0:31:11That's yellow rattle, also known as hay rattle.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14Now, that looks to me as if that's pretty ripe.
0:31:14 > 0:31:15Yeah, that's very ripe.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19That's a very interesting plant because it's a parasite on grass.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22One of the biggest enemies of wildflower meadows is too much grass,
0:31:22 > 0:31:27so when we create wildflower meadows, we always put yellow rattle in the seed mix.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32But remember, this is the key point, it takes two years.
0:31:32 > 0:31:33Your wildflowers and the grasses you sow
0:31:33 > 0:31:36will be literally the size of a 5p piece
0:31:36 > 0:31:38this time of year, which is July.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40- Because they're perennials. - Because they're perennials.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43They concentrate on putting their roots in the ground first.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46They don't concentrate their energy on above-ground foliage,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49and it won't be until next summer, that's the second summer,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51that you will see the wildflowers.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57'What Sue has really shown me is that growing wildflowers on a small scale
0:31:57 > 0:32:00'is in fact quite easy and cost effective.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02'But there are still some farmers who need to be convinced
0:32:02 > 0:32:05'that on a bigger scale, it's still really worth their while
0:32:05 > 0:32:08'and is financially viable.'
0:32:08 > 0:32:10At my suggestion, our Northamptonshire farmer, Duncan Farrington,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14is visiting a research project that hopes to prove
0:32:14 > 0:32:16that there are more benefits to growing wildflowers
0:32:16 > 0:32:18than he might first have imagined.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21So here we get to the end of a trial of wheat then, Dave,
0:32:21 > 0:32:23so what have we got here then?
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Here, we've actually got our experimental field margin,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29- it's quite interesting from a farm point of view.- Yeah.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33We're looking to develop something that's more of a long-term perennial based margin,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36as opposed to some of the annual mixes that are already in existence.
0:32:36 > 0:32:42The idea with these perennial margins is that they flower year on year.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45It's the first year it's been in, so you've got a lot of these annual species coming through,
0:32:45 > 0:32:47things like your annual cornflower here,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49actually giving us this lovely blue margin at the moment.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52We also have a total of 22 flowering species in here,
0:32:52 > 0:32:54around half of which are actually perennials.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57We're hoping here that what we'll see over time as the project progresses,
0:32:57 > 0:32:59that we'll actually get a slight change in the sward.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03You might see fewer of these annuals, for example, things like cornflower,
0:33:03 > 0:33:05but we'll see a more perennial sward developing.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07- So it should actually be there for much longer.- How long is much longer?
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Well, we certainly hope that in the course of the project, four or five years,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13it would last at least that, and hopefully, quite a while beyond that,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17- because once we've got the perennial plants there and established, they should of course stay there.- Yes.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21The 22 species of wildflowers chosen for the mix
0:33:21 > 0:33:24were not only picked for their benefits to our insect pollinators,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26there's even more good news for Duncan.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30We're not just hoping to encourage things like your pollinators and your farmland birds,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33we're also looking to get a pest control element from these margins.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36We're looking for them to have a function on the farm as well.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40- This sounds good to me, this sounds like integrated farming in its essence.- It certainly is, yes.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Things we call the pest natural enemies that we're trying to really encourage in here
0:33:43 > 0:33:47by providing a food source, shelter for those pest natural enemies as well,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50so that when you actually get pests in the crop, you've got those natural enemies here
0:33:50 > 0:33:52to move into your crop and give you some pest control.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Insect traps have been set up within the crop and the wildflower boundary
0:33:55 > 0:34:03to discover how effective these new margins are at attracting predators that then feed on crop pests.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06One of the main sort of drives of this project is to actually show
0:34:06 > 0:34:09that while yes, you can put these things in for their pure conservation value,
0:34:09 > 0:34:13we actually want a margin that's going to deliver an economic benefit to the grower as well,
0:34:13 > 0:34:16that's actually going to provide positive pest management
0:34:16 > 0:34:18and actually save the farmer money by doing so.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21I think that's the future of farming, isn't it?
0:34:21 > 0:34:24I think so, yes. In fact, part of the project is to look at a cost benefit analysis,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28- so you can actually say, you pop this margin in, this is the money you might save.- Yeah.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30AND it's helping the wildlife at the same time.
0:34:30 > 0:34:35It does that as well, yes. It's very much a multi-functional field margin.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38This project may only be in its early stages,
0:34:38 > 0:34:43but Duncan is sold on the many benefits that this new type of flower strip can offer
0:34:43 > 0:34:46to both pollinators and the crops on his farm.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Back home in my garden, it's time to start cleaning
0:34:53 > 0:34:57the native wildflower seed I've been collecting over the summer.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03With the tips from Sue up my sleeve,
0:35:03 > 0:35:07I've been back to the wildflower meadow a few times,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10because each time I go, it seems that there are two or three things
0:35:10 > 0:35:13that are absolutely perfect for harvesting.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16And, erm...
0:35:16 > 0:35:22Last time I went, I found that lesser knapweed and yellow rattle were just perfect.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24And that's what I'm going to clean now.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29Just sprinkle it like this onto a big sheet of white paper,
0:35:29 > 0:35:35and can you see the seeds are sort of pinging out as I do so?
0:35:35 > 0:35:39See, there, that's no good, cos that's all petal,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41and you don't want those,
0:35:41 > 0:35:46whereas these chunkier, paler things are the seeds,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48and that's what we want.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52My father was a passionate botanist and artist,
0:35:52 > 0:35:56and spent a lot of time illustrating wildflowers.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59He really taught me about the whole of the natural world,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01and how wonderful it is to know wildflowers
0:36:01 > 0:36:04and to make them part of your everyday life.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12I think gardeners, on the whole,
0:36:12 > 0:36:17tend to think of wildflowers as very ethereal,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21not showy, and actually, not true.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24There are some that are real showstoppers.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28And the other thing is that we tend to think that they're very transient,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30they're over in two or three weeks,
0:36:30 > 0:36:34and they don't give you longevity of flower.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38Not true. You know, I can immediately think of knapweed, for instance,
0:36:38 > 0:36:43the lesser and even more the greater - showy, long flowering, non-invasive,
0:36:43 > 0:36:46nice foliage, healthy, easy to grow.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Brilliant garden plant, as well as a wildflower.
0:36:49 > 0:36:55And of course, all the centaureas, really, are fantastic for insects.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59They just, they have it. They're the really sexy plant if you're an insect.
0:37:01 > 0:37:07As well as the knapweeds, other brilliant wildflowers to try
0:37:07 > 0:37:10include scabious or pincushion flowers,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13and all of their close botanical relatives in the teasel family.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17Wild plants in the borage family, such as echiums,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20are completely adored by butterflies and bumblebees
0:37:20 > 0:37:23and make incredible garden plants.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30Native members of the pea or legume family are also hugely favoured by pollinators,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33and there are lots of them, like red and white clovers,
0:37:33 > 0:37:37vetches and vetchlings, birdsfoot trefoil, and sainfoin.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44And finally, if soldier beetles, ladybirds and hoverflies are missing from your garden,
0:37:44 > 0:37:48plant clouds of flat-headed umbelliferae,
0:37:48 > 0:37:54like beautiful wild carrot, bishop's weed, and bright yellow daisies like corn marigolds.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06It's September and I'm back in Creaton to catch up with Katie
0:38:06 > 0:38:10and find out what's been happening on the wildflower front.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12So tell me, how has it been going?
0:38:12 > 0:38:16Has it kind of been cruising along brilliantly with the wildflower project,
0:38:16 > 0:38:18or is it slightly sinking into the sand?
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- Well, I thought that meeting on the green was really positive.- Yeah.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25And I didn't really hear any negative comments from anybody.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28After that, we had a Parish Council meeting, erm...
0:38:28 > 0:38:30which started off quite positively,
0:38:30 > 0:38:34but nothing's really happened, which is quite, I find quite frustrating,
0:38:34 > 0:38:37cos of my personality. I'm more of a sort of,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39"Well, just go with it, just do it."
0:38:39 > 0:38:42'Reading between the lines, it's clear that there's some resistance
0:38:42 > 0:38:44'to my campaign in the village,
0:38:44 > 0:38:47'but it feels like no-one wants to air their concerns when I visit.'
0:38:47 > 0:38:52I think what we should do today is really try and get some names,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54because that's a really, really strong starting point.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58We can then go to the Parish Council and just say, "Look, these people are keen."
0:38:58 > 0:39:03And then, they'll feel empowered to, you know, bring along the people who are more negative.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09- So, are you ready?- Ready!
0:39:16 > 0:39:19I just wondered if I could talk to you, just for a minute?
0:39:19 > 0:39:22You know the wildflower area that we are proposing to have at the bottom of the green down there?
0:39:22 > 0:39:24- Will you sign our petition? - Yes, certainly.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Because we are going to then take this to the Parish Council to...
0:39:27 > 0:39:30To show that there are people in support of it and try and move it along a bit further.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Would you be prepared to sign?
0:39:32 > 0:39:34- Would you be happy to sign?- Yes! - Would that be OK?
0:39:34 > 0:39:35Thank you.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38- Am I first on the list? - You're my first one, yeah.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40I assure you, it'll only be that bottom area.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43- That's all you're signing away of the green, OK?- Right.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47'With a little bit of extra explanation about what we're aiming to achieve,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50'everyone seems to be remarkably keen.'
0:39:50 > 0:39:53- Yes, OK.- Oh, that's lovely. Thank you so much.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55Lovely. Thank you very much.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56Thank you so much.
0:39:56 > 0:39:57Thank you very much.
0:39:57 > 0:39:58Thank you very much!
0:39:58 > 0:40:00- It's a great idea.- Lovely.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Other villages too, in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire?
0:40:02 > 0:40:05- I think this is... We're the pilot.- Oh!
0:40:05 > 0:40:08- If you can crack Creaton, you can crack anywhere!- Ha-ha-ha!
0:40:09 > 0:40:13'Time to re-group and see how the campaign is going.'
0:40:14 > 0:40:16I mean, some people have got real concerns,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19and I totally understand that.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24And I think a lot of it was almost as if they kind of got the wrong end of the stick,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28and they were thinking that we were doing something quite terrible
0:40:28 > 0:40:30and that the whole green is going to be involved,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34and that we're going to have to stop having functions and barbecues on the green.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38So I think once people understood where we're coming from,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41it was good and it was positive. Yeah.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43I got a few names and I've left a form.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45- I got more than you!- Yeah, you did!
0:40:45 > 0:40:47I left a form in the shop.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50- Yes.- And hopefully, we'll get more from there,
0:40:50 > 0:40:55and then if you could possibly take them to Stan, to the head of the Parish Council.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59- Yeah.- And then he, I hope, can give the go-ahead.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01- All right, thank you, Sarah. That's great.- Onwards and upwards.- Yeah.
0:41:01 > 0:41:06I'm confident that Katie can get even more people in the village to sign the list,
0:41:06 > 0:41:10and persuade Stan and the Parish Council to give wildflowers a chance in Creaton.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16But just a few miles away, in his Northamptonshire farm,
0:41:16 > 0:41:21Duncan Farrington needs no persuasion to start sowing his new flowery margins.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25A while ago, we came and saw this when the crop was still here.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29We're now in autumn, the ground conditions are right,
0:41:29 > 0:41:33and I've got a specialist mix of wildflower seed that we're going to plant.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36So 90% is grass seed, but then when I'm looking at it,
0:41:36 > 0:41:38these little tiny seeds.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41We've got 20 different wildflower seeds in here.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45If you just made a mix up with one species, it'd be a very short flowering period.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49And it smells nice as well, it smells, erm...smells fresh.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51So hopefully, it's going to grow.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Once we've got it established, which takes a year to 18 months,
0:42:08 > 0:42:10it should last ten to 15 years.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12It's going be great for wildlife,
0:42:12 > 0:42:14it's going to be great for agriculture,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16and it'll look pretty as well, hopefully.
0:42:16 > 0:42:22I'm hopeful that this is just the first of many new flowery strips that Duncan will sow.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26Along with all the new hedges and trees that Duncan and his father have planted,
0:42:26 > 0:42:31these areas will provide incredibly useful habitat for both pollinating insects
0:42:31 > 0:42:34and all sorts of other farm wildlife.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36And I'm looking forward to seeing it in the spring.
0:42:38 > 0:42:44But back at home, it's also time for me to sow my wildflower seed.
0:42:49 > 0:42:54The autumn's a really good time to sow wildflower seed,
0:42:54 > 0:42:57because then you cover all bases,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00because hardy annuals will germinate quite quickly,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02and some of the perennials,
0:43:02 > 0:43:06but there are some of the perennials that need a proper cold season
0:43:06 > 0:43:08to get them to germinate.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11So the first seed that I'm going to sow is lesser knapweed,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14which I collected in the meadow.
0:43:14 > 0:43:18And you want to sow as widely spaced as you possibly can,
0:43:18 > 0:43:20so you don't get too much overcrowding.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23In some ways, that's an advantage of direct sowing,
0:43:23 > 0:43:27is that you can just scatter the seeds far and wide,
0:43:27 > 0:43:30but the problem with that is that you do get real problems
0:43:30 > 0:43:33with competition from weeds and grasses.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37So I tend to think you're kind of belt and braces
0:43:37 > 0:43:39if you sow it into a seed tray.
0:43:39 > 0:43:44And then, what I'm going to do is cover this with grit.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49With wildflower seed, it really is as simple as that.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53They don't need mollycoddling. In fact, they shouldn't be mollycoddled.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58So just somewhere cold, but out of the rain, so the seeds don't get washed out.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03In the spring, out they go, as little seedlings, straight into the garden,
0:44:03 > 0:44:05and then that is the beginning of your wildflower meadow.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19There's been fantastic news from Creaton.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22Our petition paid off and Katie has even got Stan,
0:44:22 > 0:44:24the head of the Parish Council,
0:44:24 > 0:44:29to help her plant a small area of wildflowers on the green.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31The plan is to mark out and plant up an area this autumn
0:44:31 > 0:44:33to give instant impact next summer
0:44:33 > 0:44:35and help win over more of the village.
0:44:39 > 0:44:40- That's it.- That looks superb!
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Right. Everyone can see what we're using?
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Right. That's it.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47Adam, you can move now. We've got our mark...
0:44:47 > 0:44:52- That's it.- So plant everything in there...- Yeah.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55And we're going to rough the grass up a bit. OK?
0:44:55 > 0:44:57And we can plant them in there.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Do you think that's a good idea?
0:45:00 > 0:45:02- Good boy! Well done!- Great!
0:45:09 > 0:45:11Oh, look at that!
0:45:11 > 0:45:14I think the posh name for that is scarified.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17So that's been really scarified there, hasn't it?
0:45:19 > 0:45:20- Come on!- Yeah.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23And then we are going to spread the yellow rattle,
0:45:23 > 0:45:27and the yellow rattle attacks the roots of the grass.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29So it makes the grass weak.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Say, "Grow, little seeds."
0:45:42 > 0:45:44It's great to see this level of enthusiasm!
0:45:44 > 0:45:45Fantastic!
0:45:45 > 0:45:49I wish I could have contained it slightly better!
0:45:49 > 0:45:53- Stan, if they survive this, these plants will survive anything!- Yes!
0:45:53 > 0:45:56And I think we'll probably have to order a few more plants
0:45:56 > 0:45:58and perhaps come out under cover of darkness
0:45:58 > 0:46:00- and plant them all over again! - I heard that!
0:46:00 > 0:46:01LAUGHTER
0:46:03 > 0:46:06I'm hopeful that the plug plants will give this area
0:46:06 > 0:46:09some instant impact next spring,
0:46:09 > 0:46:11and hopefully be the start of Creaton
0:46:11 > 0:46:14welcoming wildflowers back into the village.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20It's May, and year two of my campaign,
0:46:20 > 0:46:25and at home at Perch Hill, it's time to complete my mini wildflower meadow.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32Last autumn, I collected quite a lot of seed
0:46:32 > 0:46:35from meadows close by to Perch Hill
0:46:35 > 0:46:38and I sowed them into seed trays, and I pricked them out,
0:46:38 > 0:46:41and most of them have done really well, actually.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43And I have bought in a few plug plants,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46just to give me instant impact this year.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50I found a little area, just to the left of the cutting garden,
0:46:50 > 0:46:52which was quite a rough place,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55and I've decided that's going to be a wildflower meadow.
0:46:55 > 0:47:01And last autumn, I sprayed it off to kill the grasses,
0:47:01 > 0:47:04and lots and lots of nettles, docks and thistles.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08And then, in October, I direct sowed a wildflower mix,
0:47:08 > 0:47:10with some grasses in it.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12The finer-leaf varieties of grasses.
0:47:12 > 0:47:13And some yellow rattle.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16And it's germinated well, actually, through the winter.
0:47:16 > 0:47:21So where there are sort of patches which haven't germinated so well,
0:47:21 > 0:47:23that's perfect, cos there won't be competition.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25What's exciting about it is because they're perennial,
0:47:25 > 0:47:28it should just get better and better and better.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34So last autumn, to begin the meadow,
0:47:34 > 0:47:37I sowed my seed mix directly on the ground,
0:47:37 > 0:47:41and now I'm filling the gaps with the extras I've grown and potted on.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53But in Northamptonshire, Duncan is using a very different technique
0:47:53 > 0:47:56to get his wildflower borders established,
0:47:56 > 0:48:00and I'm going to catch up with him to see how these new margins are establishing.
0:48:03 > 0:48:07So when did you sow this seed mix?
0:48:07 > 0:48:09I planted this in the end of September last year.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13So we are now eight or nine months later on.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16It's come through the winter. It didn't do much in the winter.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18But then in the spring, as things started warming up a little,
0:48:18 > 0:48:23things started growing, mostly weeds, that I would recognise as weeds.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26Like, er...some brome here.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29So what we've actually done is, as these things start to come in,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32we started from the beginning of March mowing it.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35- OK.- So you may think, "Oh, that's going to destroy what we are trying to grow."
0:48:35 > 0:48:39- But I've mowed it a couple of times.- Right.- And I think we need to do it again now
0:48:39 > 0:48:44to discourage these invasive weeds, arable weeds, that are very competitive.
0:48:44 > 0:48:51- So, basically, the theory, agriculturally, is that you want to cut through your first year.- Yes.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55To really try and deplete the seed bank of the more invasive things,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58to then give your slower-growing perennial wildflowers
0:48:58 > 0:49:00- a chance to really get going.- Yes.
0:49:00 > 0:49:05And I can immediately see really quite a lot of things that will come next...
0:49:05 > 0:49:07- It'll be more showy next year.- Yes.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10They are here already, but they won't flower much till next year.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13I mean, there's selfheal there, there's wild carrots and there's an oxy daisy there.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Yes. Yeah.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18And, you know, so there's definitely stuff in here,
0:49:18 > 0:49:22- and you're right, it's been slightly chocked by the annuals, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26- And this is a very nice grass too, which I'm pretty sure would have been in your seed mix.- Yeah.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29And you can always tell this, I find this really easy to identify,
0:49:29 > 0:49:33- cos it only has the flower spike on one side of the stem.- Yes.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37- So it's completely flat on one side, as if it's been sort of shoved against a wall or something.- Yeah.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40And that's a really good grass, the crested dogstail,
0:49:40 > 0:49:44because it can cohabit with wildflowers and won't outcompete them.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46From my point of view, as a sustainable farmer,
0:49:46 > 0:49:48it has to pay, at the end of the day.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51- So I've got my crop of wheat here. That's our day job.- Yeah.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54But those pollinating insects, while they aren't going to pollinate wheat,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58- next year, this could be beans or rapeseed, which they will pollinate.- Yes.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01But also, the insects here, it could be predators.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04So we could have hover fly, or ladybirds, or beetles that may...
0:50:04 > 0:50:08the hover fly might have nectar off the cow parsley for breakfast.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11It may then fly out into the wheat and eat aphids for lunch.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15- Excellent. And so, it makes real financial sense as well.- I hope so, long term.
0:50:15 > 0:50:21I think it's brilliant that Duncan is bringing these new wildflower areas to his farm.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23They are so important as wildlife corridors,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26helping our bees, butterflies and all sorts of wildlife
0:50:26 > 0:50:29to travel across intensively farmed areas.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36But it's time to return to the village of Creaton,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39where just a year ago, I started my campaign on the village green.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43- So this is the bit here?- Yes, yes! It's fab, isn't it?
0:50:43 > 0:50:45The seed heads are what get you first.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47I know it's for the wildflowers.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50But also, everyone has been saying how pretty the grass looks,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52allowing the grass to grow long as well.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55- Well, it just has so much more movement, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:50:55 > 0:50:56It reminds me of when I was a child.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59This is how the green used to be.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01So it's great. It's fantastic.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03So tell me how it's gone down.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06I haven't had any actual negative comments about it at all.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09- Brilliant! No-one's said it's messy, or...?- No, no. Not yet.
0:51:09 > 0:51:15Now it's actually up, and it's fed so well in the dry weather,
0:51:15 > 0:51:18- it looks a lot better than the sort of patched turf over there.- Yeah.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21They have actually changed the mowing regime of the green.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25So instead of it being mowed every two weeks, it's now gone to three weeks.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29- So, last time, you said, we have daisies on the rest of the green.- That is good!
0:51:29 > 0:51:31So that is a minor triumph.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34Well, that saves money and it's good for the pollinators.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36Absolutely. But we never used to see any daisies,
0:51:36 > 0:51:38cos the heads were cut off before they were even...
0:51:38 > 0:51:40So that is one thing that is now set in stone.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45The reduction in mowing across the majority of the green
0:51:45 > 0:51:46is an incredible step forward,
0:51:46 > 0:51:51but I'm keen to know if the village now see the benefit of wildflowers
0:51:51 > 0:51:53and the effect it could have for pollinators.
0:51:55 > 0:52:00Do you think people associate, you know, the increase of wildflowers,
0:52:00 > 0:52:04do you think they realise that that means an increase in insects?
0:52:04 > 0:52:06I think they do. I think, cos you can't miss it.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09Because actually, as you come across the green, there are...
0:52:09 > 0:52:12you know, the bees, and the wasps and the things.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16- Just, actually, as we walk now, they are just taking...taking off as we walk through them.- Yeah.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18So, I just don't think you can miss it.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21And so, where do you feel it goes from this little patch?
0:52:21 > 0:52:26Do you feel Creaton is going to grab the sort of wildflower thing, or not?
0:52:26 > 0:52:27I hope so! I hope so.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31Because I think this is a fantastic area to show people.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34It's not frightening, it's not bramble and rubbish.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36And there's no sort of cigarette packets.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38Next year, it will look even better.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41As everything comes up, we've got a reasonable show now,
0:52:41 > 0:52:43and I just think it'll only get better.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47I'm really encouraged by how positive Katie is,
0:52:47 > 0:52:52but I know how difficult even small changes can be for any community.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56So we're calling on Stan, head of the Parish Council.
0:52:56 > 0:53:01How do you feel that the village green project is going? The triangle.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Er... A lot of people quite like it.
0:53:03 > 0:53:08There are some, as you would expect, who aren't quite so...
0:53:08 > 0:53:10so favourable towards it.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13But generally speaking, nobody has actually
0:53:13 > 0:53:16- gone out there and trashed it, have they?- No.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20- And the children, it's just been a huge success with the children. - Yes. Yeah.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22It just adds an extra element to the green.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25The tactileness of it, the fact they can run through it,
0:53:25 > 0:53:28pick the flowers, do as they like.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31- And it's only a smallish area of the green, anyway.- Yeah.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34- So they can still...- Do you think we can get it bigger?
0:53:36 > 0:53:39I think it will take time, but I don't see why not.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42I think, certainly, we'll hold what we've got.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44We will hold that ground. We're going to hold that ground.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48But Stan has even more good news,
0:53:48 > 0:53:52as the debate fired by my campaign has lead to a new group being forged,
0:53:52 > 0:53:54known as Natural Creaton.
0:53:54 > 0:54:00- The emphasis mainly is to encourage people to do things in their own gardens.- Yeah.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03Yes, the public spaces as well will be included in it,
0:54:03 > 0:54:06but there are various things they can do in their garden
0:54:06 > 0:54:09to encourage wildlife, bees, and flowers, etc, etc.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12And then we want, you know, Creaton can be the start,
0:54:12 > 0:54:14and then we want every village to do it throughout the country,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17- and then we really will get a big effect.- Yes. Yeah.
0:54:17 > 0:54:23The future of wildflowers on the green is still a little uncertain.
0:54:23 > 0:54:28However, the Parish Council have decided that they can be encouraged back in part of the churchyard.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30So for a final dose of inspiration,
0:54:30 > 0:54:35I'm taking Katie on a short trip to the next village.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38I just thought it'd be really good to come and have a look at this place,
0:54:38 > 0:54:43- because the surprising thing is it's within a mile or two of Creaton. - Creaton, yeah.
0:54:43 > 0:54:48And I just heard that they were doing exactly what we were talking about in the churchyard.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51- You know, you can't put your foot down on the ground there... - No, exactly.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54- ..without treading on something...- Yeah.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57There's St John's wort there. There's hogweed here.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59Tons and tons. And look...
0:54:59 > 0:55:02- That's beautiful.- Lovely...- Yeah.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05And look at all the bees and the pollinators as we are walking through.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07Well, that, I think that's the thing,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10as well as it looking wonderful, I think,
0:55:10 > 0:55:15- it's just such an important nectar resource for all the insects in this whole area.- Yeah.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19And if we can get Creaton doing it, and then other people doing it,
0:55:19 > 0:55:22- it's just the most wonderful optimistic thing.- Absolutely. Absolutely.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26I just, I can't see how anyone could object to this.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30- If you still have any doubters, you know, bring them here...- Bring them here.- ..at this time of the year.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34- Yeah. It's inspirational.- And you can't really go wrong, can you?
0:55:42 > 0:55:47Back at Perch Hill, my meadow project is showing great promise for the future.
0:55:49 > 0:55:55My wildflower meadow is looking much like I expected in its first season.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58There isn't a huge amount of colour in here, but there are lots of lovely grasses,
0:55:58 > 0:56:03like crested dogstail, and I can see already, within the grasses,
0:56:03 > 0:56:06there's lots of lovely wildflower potential.
0:56:06 > 0:56:11But that is what Sue explained, with perennials, you can't expect that in the first year.
0:56:11 > 0:56:16The key thing is I've got to decrease the fertility on my heavy clay soil.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20So, I'm going to strim it off in a few weeks at the beginning of August
0:56:20 > 0:56:21and rake it, take it away.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25I mustn't leave it to mulch down and enrich the soil any more.
0:56:25 > 0:56:30But wherever I walk in here, there's loads and loads of insect life.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33And so, they're already definitely enjoying it.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36But next year, there will be tones and tones of nectar for them.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39And so I feel very excited and pleased with what I think of
0:56:39 > 0:56:43as my kind of little mini potential nature reserve.
0:56:51 > 0:56:56The thing that I've really noticed travelling around the British Isles over the last 18 months
0:56:56 > 0:56:58is how much it's changed since I was a child.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01And there is no doubt that there are fewer flowers,
0:57:01 > 0:57:04both in our lane sides and in our fields,
0:57:04 > 0:57:07than there were when I was pottering around botanising with my dad.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11The whole place has a different feel, a different colour, and a different atmosphere.
0:57:11 > 0:57:16Now, there's no point us imagining that we can turn the clocks back to 40 years ago.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18It's just not going to happen.
0:57:18 > 0:57:23But there are more modern alternatives of helping out our insect populations.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27And you've seen that with Katie in Creaton
0:57:27 > 0:57:30and with Duncan on his farm.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33Both two fantastically exciting projects,
0:57:33 > 0:57:38which are really optimistic and will make a big difference.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40But it's not just about the countryside,
0:57:40 > 0:57:44our cities and our sprawling urban landscapes need to play their part too,
0:57:44 > 0:57:49as do our many towns, gardens and flower displays.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52So next week, in the second programme of this series,
0:57:52 > 0:57:56I'll be challenging the Britain In Bloom competition,
0:57:56 > 0:58:00the UK garden industry and the Royal Horticultural Society
0:58:00 > 0:58:06to play a major part and really help our pollinating insects.
0:58:06 > 0:58:11By increasing habitats that are friendly for them and increasing their food supply,
0:58:11 > 0:58:14which we can all easily do in our gardens,
0:58:14 > 0:58:17we can really make a genuine difference
0:58:17 > 0:58:19and start to reverse the declines.
0:58:34 > 0:58:39Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd