"Bee hotels" such as these make great habitats for local insects
This month, the University of Sussex Estates team are taking part in a national initiative to support habitats for insects and other species.
The ‘No Mow May’ campaign, which is led by the conservation charity Plantlife, encourages organisations and individuals to reduce mowing throughout May.
The Sussex Estates and Facilities (SEF) Grounds team are playing their part by suspending grass cutting in roughly a third of the lawns on the University of Sussex campus, encouraging biodiversity and growth. Flowers in bloom provide nectar for pollinators such as bees, and help to retain attractive habitats for local wildlife in the University’s unique South Downs campus environment.
The remaining areas are being cut as normal to maintain them as open amenity areas for use by students and staff, and to comply with environmental and health and safety requirements.
Ashley Wilcox, Grounds Maintenance Manager for SEF, said: “Our aim is to maintain a natural balance between ecological support and ensuring our campus remains fit for use by our staff and students.”
Thanks to a close working relationship between SEF, the School of Life Sciences and the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI), many initiatives have already been established across the 229 acres of campus to support social pollinators and promote long-term sustainable ecology.
These include a variety of wildflower beds; meadow management; naturalised banks, ponds and other areas; orchid sites; bee hotels (where bees can nest and lay eggs); woodland refuges; support for local hedgehogs; green roofs; and much more.
Vice-Chancellor Adam Tickell said: “Our longer term plans are to reduce our cut grassed areas and promote the rewilding of some of them. These will not only support pollinators, but also a much wider range of invertebrates, and will support a food chain for birds and small mammals.”
Find out more about groundskeeping on the University of Sussex campus.