Data collection is an important part of the project and we would appreciate any volunteering to help do the survey to collect data from our Cross Pollination Project (CPP) beds.

Below are insect ID guides and instructions on how to carry out a CPP survey at any of our case study sites.  We will also be running training sessions and data collection days throughout the project, so if you would like to participate in one of those let us know.

The data we collect will be collated by LASI at the University of Sussex as part of their ongoing research.  Don’t worry if you have difficulty identifying insects or make errors – it takes time to get your eye in and sometimes they just move too quickly! Just do your best and we appreciate any data that you can gather. You will be surprised at how quickly you can learn to identify insects!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch by email at info@cross-pollination.uk or cally@khwp.org.uk or by contacting Cally Fiddimore on 01580 212972 .

 

Instructions For CPP Surveys

What you will need:

Survey form   Data collection sheet

Clipboard and pencil

Species code list.  A list of codes is provided on the survey form and codes are also displayed on the ID guides.

ID guides  CPP Bee ID Guide    CPP Butterfly and Moth ID Guide   CPP Flies and Other Insects ID Guide

Map of the flower bed you are surveying if you cannot identify the plants or the labels are not in place. Dunorlan Park Bed Map   Grosvenor & Hilbert Park Bed Map  Oakley School Bed Map   Pepenbury Bed Map  Sherwood Bed Map   CPP Bed Maps

Watch or other mechanism for telling the time

Camera*

Secateurs and gloves (if helping maintain the flowers)*

*optional

Completing the survey form

You need to move from plant to plant taking an instantaneous count of the insects foraging on that plant. This usually is about 2 minutes per plant patch. If you are just starting out this will take a bit longer, but once you have some practice a survey can be done very quickly. You can do more than one survey on your visit if you have time, just leave a sufficient gap between surveys so you are not counting the same insects twice. Usually by the time you have finished a survey of all the plants, spending a couple of minutes at each plant, enough time has passed when you start again. Avoid doing surveys on days when the weather is poor (i.e. heavy rain or strong winds) as insects are not likely to be foraging.

Site Name: the site you are at (i.e. Dunorlan Park, Grosvenor & Hilbert Park, Oakley School, Pepenbury, or Sherwood Allotments)

Time: record the start time of your survey

Survey Ref/No: if you are doing more than one survey on that visit you can record them here

Surveyor Name/Group: The name of the person(s) or group carrying out the survey

Temp: record the temperature in Celsius – you can estimate or use your smart phone if you have one

Wind: record the wind using the Beaufort scale which can be found at the bottom of the survey form

% Blue sky: estimate to the nearest 10% increment the percentage of blue sky from 0 to 100.

Area m²: The CPP beds are all divided into 1 metre² plots but the plant may not be filling its plot or may have overgrown it and spreading over. So for example if the lavender is only filling half of its plot please record 0.5m²

Bloom %: This is how much the plant is currently flowering. E.g. No flowers = 0%, half the flowers are out = 50% and in full bloom = 100%

Flower height: estimate the average flower height in centimetres

Insects: You need to record the numbers of each insect found foraging on the plant. If they are not a foraging insect, ie the ladybird, do not record it. If you are unsure, record it. The insects are split into 9 categories: Honeybee; Bumble bee; Other bee; Hoverfly; Other fly; Butterfly; Moth; Beetle; and Other insect.

Bumble bee is split into 7 species types, details of which can be found at the bottom of the survey form. For all insects other than Honeybee and Bumble bee, if you can identify the species please record it using the code followed by the quantity- for example 2 Peacock butterflies would be recorded in the butterfly box as PC2. If you cannot identify the species just record the number and not the species. A list of codes is provided with the survey kit and codes are also displayed on the provided ID guides.

Complete the total number of all insects found on the plant in the last column.

Submitting your data

If you are planning to carry out a few surveys please send your completed forms in small batches. Completed forms can be posted to the address below or emailed to info@cross-pollination.uk or cally@khwp.org.uk. If neither of these options are practical, contact us and we can send you a stamped and self-addressed envelope or you can drop the competed surveys into the site office of the CPP bed you are at. You can obtain additional survey forms and a survey kit by contacting Cally on 01580 212972 or emailing info@cross-pollination.uk or cally@khwp.org.uk.

 Other information and contact details

If you are able and willing please feel free to take secateurs and gloves with you when surveying – we would really appreciate help with dead-heading and weeding of the CPP beds. If you notice any damage or problems with the CPP beds please contact Cally Fiddimore on 01580 212972 or email info@cross-pollination.uk or cally@khwp.org.uk .

 

Cross Pollination Project, Kent High Weald Partnership, Walled Garden, Bedgebury Pinetum, Bedgebury Road, Goudhurst, Kent TN17 2SJ

Here is a PDF printable version of the CPP Survey Instructions  Instructions for Cross Pollination Project Survey

 

Cross Pollination Project Plant Bed Maps

 DUNORLAN PARK

Dunorlan Park Bed Map

Here is a pdf version of the Dunorlan Park Study Bed Dunorlan Park Bed Map

 

 GROSVENOR AND HILBERT PARK

G&H Park Bed Map

Here is a pdf version of the Grosvenor and Hilbert Park Study Bed Grosvenor & Hilbert Park Bed Map

 

OAKLEY SCHOOL

Oakley Bed Map

Here is a pdf version of the Oakley School Bed Oakley School Bed Map

 

PEPENBURY

Pepenbury Bed Map

 

Here is a pdf version of the Pepenbury Study Bed  Pepenbury Bed Map

 

SHERWOOD ALLOTMENT

Sherwood Bed Map

Here is a pdf version of the Sherwood Study Bed  Sherwood Bed Map

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPP Summer Data Surveys 2017

Thanks to a handful of dedicated volunteers we managed to gather some data from the bee beds’ first summer. All fourteen of our plants, except the three control plants (pelargonium, pom pom dahlia and cactus dahlia), were popular with pollinators.

Below are a few of the stars of the summer. It should be noted that some of the plants did not fully establish this year (such as the fleabane and marjoram) and we expect a full bloom of all flowers next summer.

If you would like to get involved with surveying the beds in summer 2018 please get in touch.

CPP 2017 fav plants