Protecting Insects and pollinators

All About Insects & Pollinators

Pollinators like bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and beetles are essential to life and ecosystems. They fertilize wildflowers and crops, ensuring food production and biodiversity. For one in every three bites of food we eat depends on pollinators. Insects also help recycle nutrients, control pests, and support birds and mammals in the food chain.

Pollinator populations are declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use, pollution, and climate change. In Chorley, urban development and intensive land use have fragmented habitats, making it harder for insects to thrive.

Insects may be small, but their impact is enormous. By making Chorley a haven for pollinators, we’re protecting food security, biodiversity, and the natural beauty of our borough. Every garden, park, and roadside verge can be part of the solution.

Insects and pollinators in Chorley are tiny heroes of our ecosystem, help us to protect them!

 

Conservation in Chorley

Chorley Council is actively restoring biodiversity through wildlife corridors, wildflower meadows, and reduced grass cutting to support pollinators. Over 8,000 wildflower bulbs have been planted to create vibrant, insect-friendly spaces, which allow pollinators to move between habitats, feed, and reproduce.

Image of a beer on a flower

How can you help?

Garden for pollinators

  • No Mow May - stop mowing your lawn in May to allow wildflowers to grow, which provide essential food, nectar, and pollen for pollinators like bees and butterflies at the start of summer. This can help to increase insect populations and support biodiversity in your areas
  • plant nectar-rich flowers like lavender and foxglove
  • let lawn weeds bloom—dandelions and clover are great food sources
  • avoid pesticides and herbicides that harm insects
  • provide water in shallow dishes with pebbles for safe drinking

Build habitats

  • install bee and bug hotels, or leave bare patches of soil for ground-nesting bees
  • create log piles and compost heaps for beetles and other insects
  • maintain hedgerows and native shrubs for shelter and food

Get involved

  • join local conservation groups or citizen science projects
  • share sightings with the British Trust for Ornithology or Wildlife Trusts
  • support pollinator-friendly policies and green spaces