Biodiversity

Working with you to nurture nature

We care a lot about supporting biodiversity here at Lidl, and are dedicated to helping both our suppliers and customers do their bit. Helping pollinators like birds, bees and butterflies get the nectar they need is an important part of this. That is why we are supporting Plantlife’s Every Flower Counts survey - find out more below and see what plants and flowers are blooming in your garden!

Who are Plantlife?

Plantlife is a British conservation charity working nationally and internationally to save threatened wildflowers, plants, and fungi.
Its team of dedicated conservation experts work with landowners, businesses, conservation organisations, community groups and governments to save rare flora and ensure that familiar flowers and plants continue to thrive.

Every Flower Counts survey

You can see the difference that planting wildflowers on your lawn is making for local wildlife by taking part in Plantlife’s survey at the end of May and again at the beginning of July.

Simply count the number of flowers in a square metre patch of lawn and Plantlife will tell you how much nectar they’re producing and how many pollinators they’ll feed, giving you your own Personal Nectar Score.

Why fill the survey again in July? Different species are abundantly in flower in later summer, including white clover, red clover, cat’s-ear, knapweed, selfheal and common bird’s-foot-trefoil.

Lawns are also often more colourful and produce more nectar in July. So, please do repeat your survey and get a new Personal Nectar Score for your lawn. You might be surprised how different it is compared to May!

Click here to take part

How you can do your part for biodiversity

Make your garden bee-friendly

While people often think that lawns need to be neat and tidy, and exclusively for grass, planting wildflowers is a great way to support biodiversity. Changing how you garden and mow your lawn can help different wildflowers and wildlife to thrive.

More flowers mean more nectar for pollinators like birds, bees, and butterflies.
You may even end up with your own wildflower meadow – and you’ll be amazed by what pops up if you let your lawn grow.
You don't need to have a garden to make your outdoor space bee-friendly, window boxes, patio pots and hanging baskets can help provide an oasis for pollinators.

You can try:

Adapting how you care for your lawn to support different wildflowers which bloom at different times of the year.
Providing a mixture of lawn habitats (e.g., short grass, long grass, mini-meadow) so that different types of wildflowers - both short and tall - can thrive.
Mowing your lawn after plants have been pollinated and seeds have fallen (usually in late summer) to allow wildflower species in your lawn to find fertile ground to grow (set seed).
Allowing seeds to germinate by creating small patches of bare ground where they can have contact with the soil.

Hint and tips for creating a biodiverse garden

We’ve worked with Plantlife to bring you hints and tips that will welcome bees and butterflies into your garden this summer!

1) Master the art of mowing

Did you know that different heights of grass attract different pollinators? So, the next time you mow leave a section unmown and extend the time between mows for more various patches.

Get creative by making different shapes in your grass, leave some areas to grow wild then mow a path or create a border and allow certain patches to grow longer than others.

Photo: Kim Newman

2) Wood works wonders!

Piling wood on top of each other has several benefits, it provides a safe home for insects, reptiles and other wildlife, as well as supporting beautiful lichens and fungi. Some tips for creating woodpiles are:

Use various sizes of wood.
Find a quiet spot for your woodpile.
Start with the biggest log at the bottom before layering the rest.
Fill the holes with leaf litter, sticks and bark to support hibernating wildlife.

Photo: Matt Pitts

3) Take care of your hedges & edges!

Taking care of your hedges and bushes is super important as they provide shelter and shade for the wildlife in your garden. Wildflowers like red campion and cow parsley grow best under hedgerows and in shady spots and edges.

Red campion loves growing on edges so much that they are a very common sight on road verges, its flower opens during daylight to attract bees and butterflies.

4) Produce some paths in your garden!

Some wildflowers like herb-robert enjoy growing in shady paths. Walls can be a super simple addition to a wildflower friendly garden.

Older walls, rocks and other structures provide the cracks that wildflowers can grow and hang onto.

5) Make the most of your lawn!

Lawns are a stomping ground for wildflowers like dandelions and daisies, and not only do they add a bit of colour to your garden, but they are also great pollinators.

Dandelions don’t mind growing in short grass and are very handy to have in your garden. They provide a great source of nectar and much needed energy boost to pollinators early in the year.

Dandelions also benefit the lawn by bringing nutrients up from the soil and helping other lawn flowers grow.

6) The need for nettles!

Contrary to popular belief, keeping nettles in your garden is actually a good thing as they are a fantastic food source for pollinators such as the red admiral caterpillar.

The more and diverse wildflowers you have in your garden, the more species you will notice!

How we’re backing our British Farmers and supporting biodiversity

We are committed to backing our British farmers here at Lidl and we are proud to say that at least half of Lidl fruit and veg farmers in the UK are LEAF Marque certified.

We are on a mission to ensure that 100% of our UK fruit and veg farmers are LEAF Marque certified by 2023, meaning our British fruit and veg suppliers will have Nature Conservation and Enhancement plans in place. Sustainable farming plays a massive role in maintaining biodiversity as it protects wildlife, regenerates soil, and reduces carbon emissions.