|
Home
About
Us
What We Do
Spaces
and Species
FarmLife
LandLife
WaterLife
UrbanLife
News
and Events
What
Can I Do?
Publications
Links
Contact
Search

Orchard Group:
login

Forum login
BedsLife
wishes to acknowledge the financial support of Natural England for this website
| |

Welcome to BedsLife! We're your
source for information on nature and wildlife in Bedfordshire and Luton.
Six new nationally important
arable plant areas found in Bedfordshire!
 |
The
results of our 2008 Important Arable Plant Areas of Bedfordshire survey are
in. The survey found six more nationally important sites, bringing our total
to 13, including one internationally important site!
Arable plants are the most critically threatened group of plants in the UK.
They grow in and around farm fields and for years were treated as weeds. Now
many of them are extremely rare.
Results of the study will be used on the ground to target good management
practices where they have the most benefit.
Field madder
Sherardia arvensis. Photo by Sarah Gregg |
Attention knitters:
The Nude Ewe
is here!
|
The Nude Ewe project is selling wool spun from
Bedfordshire's own conservation grazing flocks. Proceeds go towards the
Wildlife Trust's grazing programme.
By munching the bramble, shrubs and other rough
vegetation, grazing flocks maintain our meadow and heathland habitats.
Without these natural lawnmowers our beautiful grassy hills and fields would
turn to scrub.
So support our meadows: visit
The Nude Ewe
website and knit up your own piece of Bedfordshire!
|
 |
Critter profile: hairy -footed
flower bee Anthophora plumipes
|
Have you heard a high-pitched buzzing in your
garden lately? If so, you might be host to the hairy-footed flower bee.
These are very active bees, buzzing quickly from one flower to another. They
are smaller than bumblebees, around 13 mm long.
The hairy-footed flower bee isn't a
bumblebee, even though it might look like one. It's actually a species of
solitary bee, sometimes called a masonry bee. Unlike bumblebees which live
in colonies, solitary bees live alone. The hairy-footed flower bee nests in
tunnels dug in steep soil banks or sometimes in crumbling old masonry. |
 |
|
The
ginger coloured male hairy-footed flower bee emerges first in early spring.
The all black female follows a couple of weeks later. The hairy legs for
which the species is named are most easily visible on the female. If you
look closely you can see the orange hairs on the middle pair of legs - but
don't mistake her yellow pollen baskets for them!
These bees rarely sting but do be careful if you are trying to get a
close-up look. |
 |
|
Hairy footed flower bees do display some flower
preference. They can often be found on primroses, cowslips and white
deadnettle. They especially like lungwort. They can be territorial, and may
be seen chasing other insects away from their patch!
Photos: top (male) &
bottom (female; note the orange leg hairs), Nigel Jones;
middle (male in
flight), Laurence Livermore |
 |
What's the big deal with
biodiversity anyway?
|
'bio' = 'life'
'diversity' = 'variety'
So biodiversity = the variety of life on earth:
all the different species, habitats, ecosystems and genes that make up the
natural world. Every creature - including humans - depends on others for
survival. That's why biodiversity is so important!
To
find out more check out the
DaVersity Code and
watch Robert Penguin and Sophie Minnow try to solve a murder at the Natural
History Museum! |
 |
Stepping onto the world stage
|
BedsLife has joined a global partnership
working to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010. We're excited to report
that we've now become part of the
Countdown 2010 Partnership! What
does this mean? It means that we - along with hundreds of agencies in Europe
and around the world - are working hard to conserve and enhance our local
habitats and species. It's a big job and we can't do it alone. Find out
what you can do to help us out! |
 |
| |

Breathing Places is a ground
breaking collaboration between the BBC and leading wildlife and conservation
organisations
Why not help to create a
breathing place where you live?
For more information go to:
bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces

The
Spring 09 issue of Beds BioNews is out! Have a look at what we're up to!
The Winter 2008/09 issue of the Beds & Luton Geology Group
newsletter is out! Click
here to find out the latest scoop!
|