In 2023, we had an amazing 180 participants and saw a 75% increase in pollinator numbers in one of the groups!
I am a PhD student at Royal Holloway, University of London. I work on pollinator conservation and citizen intervention and am looking for volunteers for the second year of the citizen science study called ‘Optimow’. This study will be looking into how you can manage your gardens to help bees, butterflies and other pollinators. In the study you will be given a mowing frequency to follow and then you will count pollinators in your garden each week. The study will take 15-25 minutes a week.
This is the second year of the study. In 2023, we had an amazing 180 participants and saw a 75% increase in pollinator numbers in one of the groups!! We hope to build on this work, so we have robust advice to give members of the public about managing their lawns to help pollinators.
As members of a Horticultural Society, I hoped the study would interest you and you’d have a good skill set to complete it. Would it be possible to circulate this email to the lambeth Horticultural Society members? If they are interested in taking part they can sign up and find more information on the google form below (https://forms.gle/scmLF3h1XvoHTkcSA).
Any questions don’t hesitate to drop me an email.
Thanks in advance,
Morgan Morrison
Twitter: @morgsmorrison73
Please note: This email address has been created for the study. This is not a spam email. If you are apprehensive please google search ‘mark brown lab optimow general-7’. This will take you to a website with more information about the study. Or look at my twitter @morgsmorrison73.