Rare bumblebee surges thanks to Devon road verges

16 April 2024
Last summer, one of the UK’s rare bumblebees, the Brown-banded carder bumblebee, was found in Braunton, Devon by local Bumblebee Conservation Trust staff member, Jamie Buxton Gould.
Wildflowers are blooming in Braunton thanks to the efforts of the Parish Council, local volunteers’ and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
Over the last five years a number of road verges in Braunton, including the Saunton Road verge where the bumblebee was found have been managed with pollinators in mind by Braunton Parish Council, creating a network of habitat that can connect populations of bumblebees, allowing them to move through the landscape to find suitable flowers.
The bumblebee was found feeding on one of the species favourite flowers, viper’s bugloss. Vipers Bugloss is commonly found on the Braunton Burrow and is a highly attractive food source for both the Brown-banded carder bumblebee and the Moss carder bumblebee.
Jamie Buxton-Gould, West Country Buzz Project Officer at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust said ‘The discovery of a Brown-banded carder bumblebee is a great example of how creating the right habitat can provide a lifeline for rare wildlife. By encouraging their favourite wildflowers and not mowing important verges during flowering, we can provide stepping stones of habitat at critical times in their lifecycle, particularly in spring. Thanks to funding from North Devon AONB, the Saunton Road verge provided essential forage for these rare bumblebees with a wildflower mix’.
The Chair of Braunton Parish Council Councillor Marguerite Shapland says, “This is wonderful news and if we can help bumblebees to return it has to be an achievement. I remember my grandmother having viper’s bugloss in her garden and it was always a mass of bees. Whatever we can do to bring back disappearing plants and bees we must do. I would like to thank all the volunteers for their work on these grass road verges so we can get plants restored.”
Braunton Parish Council in partnership with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Love Braunton also provided two wildflower areas in Braunton last year. One is behind the Anchor alongside the Tarka Trail and the other is at Vellator opposite Quay Café. These areas are now in flower and are already attracting bumblebees and other wildlife.