Lambeth Bee Roads

There are lots of ways you can get involved in supporting biodiversity in Lambeth, whether you’d like join a group and volunteer or take action at home.

Volunteering

Many of the Lambeth Bee Roads sites located on Lambeth's roadsides are maintained by the council using machinery to cut and collect the grass. However, there are lots of opportunities to get involved in wildlife gardening and conservation activities in green spaces across the borough.  Many parks’ Friends and other estate-based groups offer regular gardening and conservation activities. Contact details for each park can be found at Map of parks | Lambeth Council

Support biodiversity in your streets 

If you are a group of residents on a street, you might install some pollinator planters as part of the council’s Freshview scheme.

You could also sign up to become a Neighbourhood Champion and help to keep verges and green spaces in your street or estate looking good and buzzing for bees.

Boost biodiversity in your own green spaces

If you’d like to improve your own garden, balcony or roadside space for biodiversity, have a look at some of these ideas.

Mow less frequently

Mowing less frequently and disposing of grass clippings can make a big difference. Cutting just a few times a year allows flowering plants to complete their lifecycle and set seed. Removing the clippings helps to reduce soil fertility to give wildflowers a better chance of establishing in the grass. See what wildflowers appear if you take part in No Mow May.

Make mini meadows or re-wild your lawn

Mini meadows can add colour and biodiversity and don’t need much space. There are a variety of methods you can use, depending on whether you are starting with bare soil or an existing lawn. Advice for every option can be found on the Plantlife Meadows website.

To make your lawn more nature friendly, check out this useful guide from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the Wildlife Trusts Wild About Lawns booklet .

Build beautiful homes for beetles, bugs and other wildlife

Bug homes come in all shapes and sizes and provide nesting and overwintering homes for insects. For solitary bees you could drill 6- 8mm holes into a piece of wood and hang this in a reasonably sunny spot. A log pile could provide a shelter to frogs, newts and and diverse invertebrates and a pond, if you have space, will support even more species. See some great bee home ideas in this Wild Bee action pack and in this video from Professor Dave Goulson