As spring takes hold everything is starting to grow – and that’s likely to include the grass in your garden. But, if you’re thinking it might be time to crank up the lawnmower after a winter of rest, then please reconsider – there’s little harmony in the buzz of nature and that of a lawnmower…

Right now, our early pollinators are especially in need of resources like pollen and nectar to fuel their activities. Flowers growing in the lawn can be a vital food source, offering much-needed support. Bees, in particular, are our most efficient pollinators, and it’s in our best interest to help ensure their survival - after all, 75% of global crops rely on animal pollination, which makes a pretty compelling reason for us all to care.

Around a third of all bee species found in the East of England are re either threatened, regionally extinct, or of conservation concern. Loss of habitat is the key reason for their decline and here in Hertfordshire, we’ve lost 97% of our wildflower meadows since the 1930’s. That’s why the action you take with your lawn can make a real difference.

What species might you see in your lawn?

Ashy Mining Bee

The Ashy Mining Bee is a solitary species, meaning each female lives and nests alone. Emerging mainly from March to June, they inhabit sunny, open areas such as grasslands, riverbanks, parks, and gardens. Females dig burrows 10–20cm deep in bare or sparsely vegetated ground, often leaving a small soil mound at the entrance. Inside, they create chambers stocked with pollen and nectar before laying a single egg. The larva feeds, pupates, and overwinters, emerging the following spring.

Similar in size to honey bees, females have black bodies with pale grey hair bands, while males are smaller and less distinctly marked.

Hairy-footed Flower Bee

The Hairy-footed Flower Bee comes out of hibernation in early spring, usually between late February and March. Males appear first, with females following a few weeks later. This species plays a key role in pollinating early spring flowers, including Primrose, Comfrey and dead-nettles. Using its long tongue, it feeds on nectar. This bee typically nests in soft mortar in walls, and sometimes in soil. It is often seen in gardens across southern England and along roadside verges.

Females are black and furry, resembling small bumblebees, while males are rusty-brown with distinctive long orange hairs on their middle legs and feet.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Buff-tailed Bumblebees are among the largest bumblebee species and appear in early spring. They are named for the queen’s buff-coloured tail, while workers have almost white tails, often causing confusion with White-tailed Bumblebees. They visit a wide variety of flowers, particularly open, daisy-like blooms that suit their short tongues. Colonies nest underground, frequently in abandoned mammal burrows, and can contain up to 600 bees.

They have a yellow band behind the head and another on the abdomen. Queens show a buff tail, workers have white tails with a faint buff band, and males have buff-tinged tails and black facial hair.

Tawny Mining Bee

The Tawny Mining Bee is a common solitary bee active in spring. It nests underground, creating small, volcano-shaped mounds of soil at burrow entrances. Nests are often found in lawns, flowerbeds, parkland, mown banks, and orchard margins. Flying from April to June, it coincides with the blossom of fruit trees such as cherry, pear, and apple. 

This species is ginger in colour; females are larger and densely covered in orange hairs, while males are smaller with a distinctive white facial tuft. Several similar mining bee species can be hard to distinguish.

Don’t want to leave all your lawn to grow long?

No problem! Every bit of pollinator-friendly habitat helps. By leaving just a patch of your lawn unmown lets wildflowers in the lawn bloom. Rotational cutting works well, so you could try cutting some areas and then swapping – you might even discover differences in the wildflowers you find in different patches of lawn! 

How long before you see results?

In just four weeks of leaving a patch of lawn to flourish, you might see smaller plants such as clover, daises, dandelions and Selfheal flower, all of which will give pollinators a real boost.

For more wildlife-friendly gardening ideas and step-by-step guides check out hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife-gardening