On Monday 1 July, we hosted London’s first annual pollinator count – hitting the headlines as we did so.

With the unpredictable British weather set fair for the day, hopes were high that London’s pollinators would make an appearance, and that an army of surveyors would participate in this inaugural count, alongside the Lord Mayor, Michael Mainelli and our ecologist experts conducting surveys in a selection of public gardens in the City of London, including at St Paul’s, Christchurch Greyfriars Church Garden, and Inner Temple.

Pollinators on the airwaves

These efforts were boosted with fantastic coverage of the event across the media, with our very own Dr Heather Barrett-Mold OBE appearing on the airwaves on 51 radio stations across London and the South-east as her interview about the day was broadcast far and wide. In addition, the pollinator count was also picked up by the BBC, on TV, radio and the BBC News website, meaning millions more got to learn about Pollinating London Together, our vision and mission to make London a better place for pollinators.

This was the first time PLT has managed a pollinator count involving the public to this extent, and we are grateful for the support of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, which provided us with use of their FIT Count app, which many people used to record their observations.

Analysis

Initial analysis from results suggests that honeybees remain the dominant species across London, accounting for the largest proportion of insects recorded, with solitary bees also scoring well. However, the numbers of butterflies and moths – whose numbers are thought to have fallen by 80% since the 1970s – were disappointing, translating to a worrying national picture if London is an indicator.

Future

Next year’s Annual Pollinator Count is already in the planning stages, and we aim to host an even bigger, and better event in the first half of July 2025. Keep up to date with news on this, and all other PLT news, from our newsletter, by following our website and our social media channels.

Written by Nicola Savage