Ashington Buzzes into Action for Insects
As the warm days of spring approach, Ashington Town Council is taking a proactive stance to protect and nurture the insect populations that are essential to the local ecosystem. At their recent meeting, the council passed an "Action for Insects" motion, committing to a series of initiatives designed to create insect-friendly spaces throughout the town.
Insects play a vital role in our environment, acting as pollinators, decomposers, and a food source for other wildlife. However, many species are in alarming decline due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and other human impacts. The Action for Insects plan aims to combat this by allowing wildflowers to bloom along grassy verges and in park areas, planting more insect-friendly plants and trees, minimizing pesticide use on council grounds, and installing insect hotels and bee bricks to provide nesting sites.
The council's goal is to make Ashington a more insect-friendly town through small, cumulative changes. To involve the community, they will be sharing tips with residents on how to turn their gardens into insect havens.
To kickstart this engagement, the council will highlight one easy action residents can take each day leading up to the spring equinox on March 20th, in collaboration with the Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
The council hopes to inspire people of all ages to appreciate the amazing biodiversity in Ashington and understand the importance of insects. By becoming an insect-friendly town, Ashington aims to be part of the solution to the global "insect apocalypse" crisis.
Residents are encouraged to send photos of their insect-friendly efforts to admin@ashingtontowncouncil.gov.uk. Each submission will be featured on the council's Facebook page and rewarded with a free packet of wildflower seeds. The photos will also become part of an Action For Insects video collage to be showcased at the ECO Fair planned for February next year.
Today's activity: Planning your wildlife garden, more information can be found @How to start a wildlife garden from scratch | Northumberland Wildlife Trust (nwt.org.uk)
