April has arrived, and with it the South winds have brought us a week of bright sun and warm temperatures here in Devon. Although spring is classically unpredictable, with frosty mornings and changeable weather, we are all loving the sunshine here on the farm.

Perhaps one of the greatest beauties at this time of year is how rapidly everything changes, and how, with a little attention, there is much to admire in the natural world around us. There are countless Red Admirals on the dandelions, Orange-tip Butterflies on the garlic-mustard and plump Queen Bumblebees in the bluebells. This week we saw our first Swallows of the year, soaring over the farm and soon to nest in the barns here - it won’t be long until the Swifts and Martins are here to grace our skies, too.

It is a joyful thing to sit for a moment and observe the new spring arrivals, and the comings and goings of different creatures in the garden. To encourage this, you might consider sowing some specific pollinator friendly varieties and rejoice in the life it brings to your growing space...
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Plants for Moths

The best plants for adult moths are nectar-rich varieties that open in the evening and are strongly scented.

Moths have tubular mouth pieces (proboscis), so tube-like varieties are the best way to allow them easy access to nectar.

Evening primrose

Evening primroses are hardy biennials that open up in the evening and are highly scented. Because of this, they are particularly attractive to night-flying moths, including the marvellous Hawkmoth species that are among the largest in Britain. Hawkmoths are active in the UK between May and September.

Nicotiana

Nicotiana are excellent flowers for night-flying pollinators, with their scent coming alive in the evenings. To attract pollinators, it's important to grow the older varieties (Nicotiana alata) because modern cultivars are often unscented. Like the evening primrose, Nicotiana will encourage hawkmoths to visit your garden, including the Privet Hawk-moth (Sphinx ligustri), Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) and the Elephant Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor)!

Mint

Growing plants from the mint family will encourage the Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata) to visit your garden. The Mint Moth is a small, day-flying moth with dark brown-purple wings and golden-yellow spots. This moth is active from April to September, and will be easy to find on a sunny days resting or feeding on your mint plants. Mint plants are also supportive for moths in their caterpillar life stage.

Other things to consider:

• Artificial light disrupts the crepuscular (dawn/dusk) rhythms of nocturnal wildlife, so consider minimising this in the garden where you can.
• Do not use any pesticides! There are 2,500 moth species in the UK and only a handful would cause any damage to crops or plants. Use natural management, encouraging natural predators through biodiverse plantings and wildlife habitat creation.
• Consider planting and supporting caterpillar food plants to help moths throughout their lifecycle. These include oak, willow, hawthorn, mint, honeysuckle, brambles and nettles!

Plants for Bees

The best plants for bees are flowering varieties that are nectar and pollen rich. The nectar will provide them with sugar they need for energy and the pollen contains protein and oils that bees collect to raise their young. Be wary of highly bred, modern varieties, as these are often low in pollen and/or inaccessible for pollinators.

Scabious

Scabious are native to the UK and wonderful flowers to grow for a variety of pollinators. Bees are the primary pollinators for Scabious, including the Scabious mining bee.

Cornflowers

Cornflowers are native to the UK, and were once abundant in the wild. Due to modern farming, they are now rare to come across in the wild, but they are popular amongst gardeners and loved by bees!

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are a classic garden flower, much beloved by pollinators and humans alike. Growing a diversity of sunflowers is an excellent way to support honeybees and other native bees.

Bee Mixture

We have developed a bee specific mixture, to include some of the above varieties and other herbs and flowers that are nectar rich. The bees and other beneficial insects in your garden will love this mixture of flowering plants, supporting them throughout the summer.

Other things to consider:

• Let patches of the garden grow wild, to create nesting and feeding sites for pollinators.
• Consider mowing less often, allowing nectar rich wildflowers to grow.
• Create insect nests and hibernation zones - see what moves in!
• Stay Organic, avoiding the use of chemicals to support a healthy and sustainable garden ecosystem.

Growing any combination of these varieties, alongside gardening in a way that is careful and considered, is sure to encourage a garden that is humming and buzzing with life this season. The beauty of a garden that is tended to and wild in equal measure is the joy that it can bring to us, as well as the benefits it offers to the rest of life around us.

Wishing you a spring full of delightful change and peaceful moments,

Izzy and the Vital Seeds team

P.s - Don't forget to close your propagation spaces at night, or cover over tender seedlings with mesh, as there's still frosts ahead of us! Also, watering in the morning instead of the evening is a good idea to reduce increased frost damage.