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The Essex Biodiversity Action Plan and its associated elements should make a real
difference to the future of nature conservation in the county, but there is depressing evidence
that some of the local authorities involved and the government's own nature conservation body
English Nature will not actually come up with actions set out in the plans (Harvey 1999).
South Essex and the East Thames Corridor
Without urgent and effective action by government bodies such as English Nature and the local
authorities involved, the astonishing biodiversity and nationally important populations of
aculeate Hymenoptera and other invertebrates present in the region will soon be lost forever.
The following map indicates the status in Essex of important Thames Terrace grassland
invertebrate sites known to the author. The actual situation is likely to be much worse even than
indicated by the map; sites of potential importance remain unsurveyed and numerous sites must
already have been identified by developers, planners and bodies such as the Thames Chase
Community Forest as land for future development schemes. Sites in north Kent are not identified
here but most are lost or threatened to an even greater degree than in south Essex.
Garden species
Some species commonly found in gardens are
poorly recorded because of the difficulty of
carrying out comprehensive fieldwork in these
situations. The Tawny mining bee Andrena fulva.
the Red mason bee Osmia rufa) (see maps), the
Hairy-footed flower bee Anthophora plumipes and
the Wool carder bee Anthidium manicatum (Plate
4) are just four examples.
Everyone can help to improve coverage by
recording or collecting aculeate Hymenoptera in
their garden. Whilst some garden species are too
difficult to identify without specialist keys and a
low-power microscope, there are distinctive
species which can be recognised by careful
observation.
Andrena fulva
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 16 (1999)