In June 2023 we joined a biodiversity project on a website called iNaturalist, set up by one of the Green Team members at another Linnaeus practice, Davies Veterinary Specialists. This project allows people on site to photograph any flora or fauna they see and post it against a site map. Naturalists across the globe can then use the data in wider projects, see trends in areas or countries and even ID things the poster might be unsure about. This is a great way to monitor the positive effects of our bee planting, habitat management and composting. Each practice has its own project they can manage and access, but each observation is also then collated under a wider Linnaeus project.
This project has been a fantastic way to get people to spend time outside and pay attention to their environment. Staff members from all areas of the hospital have joined in, and it has become a friendly competition between the different practices that are taking part, which I am pleased to announce we are currently winning!
Take a look at our Anderson Moores biodiversity project here.
In the summer of 2022 we installed some new planters around our site, which we filled with bee and butterfly friendly plants including lavender, scabious, alliums and sage. Not only did they look lovely, but we saw an immediate increase in insect diversity. In March 2023 we officially became a Bee Friendly Practice by becoming members of the British Bee Veterinary Society. Members must plant at least one square metre of wildflowers, and we then started the process of turning an unloved area of land outside our reception building into a wildflower and insect oasis. In 2023 and 2024 we finalized that wildflower area and in 2025 we dedicated yet another wildlife plot, and we now have almost 20m2 of protected wildflower and insect habitat!
We also have a wildlife camera on site, to capture some of the more elusive creatures in our surroundings.