Come along on Saturday 27 July from 10am to 12noon to the Community Gardening Day and take part in the Big Butterfly Count, a UK-wide survey aimed at helping to assess the health of our environment simply by counting the amount and type of butterflies (and some day-flying moths) we see.
Help us understand how butterflies are moving as the climate changes
With our established remit of being a Pollinator Garden, The Sunken Garden Society has a dedicated policy to plant for pollinators which is specifically designed to attract bees, butterflies, moths, lacewing, hoverflies and other winged invertebrates and has a variety of flowering plants that provide nectar and pollen. This has been recognised in the Wilder Kent Award that was presented on Saturday 20 July by Kent Wildlife Trust to Peter Hasted and Andrew Miller, as representatives of the Sunken Garden Society.
Peter Hasted says
“Gaining the Wilder Kent Award from the Kent Wildlife Trust is significant to the Sunken Garden Society for several key reasons:
“Firstly, it recognizes the commitment to enhancing biodiversity and promoting sustainable practices within the Sunken Garden and the wider community, giving recognition to volunteers and members, which will lead to further collaboration with like-minded community groups and aid the Society in securing funding and support for important community work.
“The award shows public acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of all the wonderful volunteers and members and in raising the garden’s public awareness, we will attract new members passionate about conservation and the environment. This accreditation heightens the importance of urban green spaces and wildlife conservation, whilst we continue inspire and encourage the next generation of environmental stewards.”
The Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide citizen science survey run by Butterfly Conservation. Launched in 2010 it is the world’s biggest survey of butterflies. Alongside the beauty that they add to our gardens, parks and green spaces, butterflies are a vital part of the ecosystem, both as pollinators and within the food chain. As indicators of a healthy environment and healthy ecosystem, by taking part in this citizen survey you are helping to conserve our natural world. It’s important not just for our butterflies, but for the wider environment and biodiversity in general.
Counting butterflies can be described as taking the pulse of nature and you, the citizen scientists, can help Butterfly Conservation to assess how much help nature needs. The data from this and other counts will also help to identify important trends in species that will assist in planning how to protect butterflies from extinction, as well as understanding the effect of climate change on wildlife.
The Sunken Garden Society, a voluntary community group, was established to reinvigorate a hidden gem at the heart of Thanet, bringing back to its former glory for the local communities to use and enjoy. We are an RHS Affiliated Society, supported by Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Co-op, Kent Community Foundation, Rotary and Thanet District Council.
We run regular monthly gardening days on the last Saturday of the month from 10am to 12 noon – the next one will be on Saturday 27 July
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to keep in touch @sunkengardensociety
Find out more about the Sunken Garden, the history and plants, at www.thesunkengarden.co.uk
Save the date – The Sunken Garden Eco Fair will take place on Sunday 6 October – more information to follow soon
The Sunken Garden is on Royal Esplanade, Westbrook, Margate CT9 5EJ
For more details about our gardening group, future initiatives and how to become a Sunken Gardens Supporter, please get in touch
