Rare bumblebee surges thanks to Devon road verges

And we're ending the week with some wonderful news.

Rare bumblebee surges thanks to Devon road verges - Bumblebee Conservation Trust

golden brown furry and black striped small bumblebee on the vivid blue trumpet shaped flowers of Viper's bugloss, a parked car is behind the plants — Rare bumblebee feeding on Viper’s bugloss on Braunton verge (photo: BBCT)

This 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.