I did think about honey bees a while back but didn't want to introduce competition for the ground nesting bees that were here. That may or may not have been clear thinking. I'll take a look at the above link, which is a concept new to me. Thank you.

Thanks again for reading and commenting. It is much appreciated! Best wishes, John.

... It's not that the ground is coated with them but it's easy not to notice that one has popped up as they emerge seemingly from nowhere. This year I've been auditing the early flowering to ensure that I can improve support for early pollinators in the future.

... The interventions I make (cutting at the base at the right time of the year) maximises the benefits of the Ivy whilst supporting other functions. Yes, we have 100s of ground nesting Bees, to the extent that you have to be careful where you walk in Spring to avoid them...

... particularly in the Hazel hedge (aka Linear Nut Orchard), where it can overcome the Hazel and cause issues from shading. Similarly it tends to get under the pan tiles of an old building, lifting them and causing issues that way...

Thank you David. Absolutely agree with you. Dandelions (and the fact that I now try to help them spread) are the best illustration of my transformation from conventional thinking to where I am now. The Ivy is equally welcomed but it does need some interventions...

I agree. That's really been the motivation behind this series. It would be such a shame if the foundations are lost. BTW, I will come to ethics later in the series. Thank you for your comment. Regards, John.

open.substack.com/pub/thewoodl...