Citizen Science

Enhancing green spaces in London where all natural pollinators can thrive, and their habitats can be enjoyed by all.

Citizen Science

Help Monitor Urban Pollinators

Urban pollinators are under increasing pressure – but understanding their health requires data. Pollinating London Together invites residents, workers, students and businesses to take part in structured monitoring through simple, science-backed surveys. You do not need to be an expert. You just need curiosity and a little time.

Why Citizen Science Matters

Your participation helps build the evidence base that guides conservation decisions:

Monitor trends in urban pollinator populations over time
Inform habitat improvements at sites across London
Strengthen biodiversity policy with real field data
Support long-term conservation efforts that require consistent, multi-year datasets

Without consistent data, conservation becomes guesswork. When observations are submitted through standardised schemes, they contribute to a growing national picture of pollinator health.

The Flower-Insect Timed Count (FIT Count)

PLT supports the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS), coordinated by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. The FIT Count is a simple, standardised survey recording insects visiting a defined patch of flowers over 10 minutes. It contributes to the primary national dataset tracking flower-visiting insects across Great Britain – feeding directly into conservation policy and land management guidance.

How to Take Part

Download the FIT Count App – available via the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme
Choose a flowering plant patch in a park, garden, balcony or green space
Observe for 10 minutes and count insects actively visiting flowers
Submit your findings – when prompted, select Pollinating London Together as your project

Click on the buttons below to learn more about how to carry out a FIT count, and to learn more about how you can log your findings on the FIT count app.

This video from the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) provides additional information about how the programme works and how you can get involved.