Festival of Farmland Biodiversity

Hedgerows are precious habitats made up of native trees, shrubs, and flowers. They form a network of wildlife corridors across our landscape, providing food and shelter for insects, birds, and mammals.

Share your native species-rich hedgerow images throughout the festival on social media by using #farmlandbiodiversity

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Festival of Farmland Biodiversity Events 2024

To celebrate our amazing native species-rich hedgerows, you can join a Hedge/Farm walk near you.

Just go to the events page to find out more.

• Good structure.
• Connecting to the wider landscape.
• Healthy hedgerows include wood, pasture (species-rich grassland) and flowering shrubs.

Native hedgerow trees:

• Song posts for birds.
• Hubs for insects to gather.
• Older wood, rot holes and deadwood provide cavities for bats and a home and food for insects who feed from and live on deadwood.
• Species include Willow, Oak, Wild cherry, Rowan, Crab apple.

• Blossom provides food for pollinators.
• Blackthorn and Goat willow are very valuable in the spring when little other food is available.
• Mature Whitethorn/Hawthorn provides a good source of food later in the spring.
• Nesting and feeding for farmland bird species.
• Later in the season Ivy provides a critical food supply.
• Berries and fruit can provide valuable food for birds and mammals from July through to February.
• Species include Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, Honeysuckle, Guelder rose, Dog rose, Holly, Spindle.

• Food for pollinators, such as wild bees, hoverflies and moths.
• Nest sites for bumblebees in the tussocky grass and for solitary bees in bare areas of the hedgerow bank.
• Some birds nest lower down in the hedgerow base, like Yellowhammer.
• A hedgerow ditch is an important feature for biodiversity.
• Species include Lesser celandine, Greater stitchwort, Cow parsley, Dog violet, Knapweed, Dandelion.

• Fenced from grazing for part of the year or untilled.
• To help protect the hedgerow act as a buffer area between the hedgerow and the farmed area.
• Can develop into a valuable native wildflower margin around the field, providing cover for insects, small birds and mammals, supporting pollinators with nectar and pollen, and providing birds and mammals with a seed and food source.
• A haven for beneficial insects.

Here are just a few of the benefits of hedgerows to farmers:

• Hedgerows provide animals with both shelter from freezing winds in winter and shade during the summer months. This can help mitigate against stress related illnesses (Milk Fever, Grass Tetany, Mastitis, Heat Stroke, and Photosensitisation).
• Hedgerows provide a drainage mechanism, helping to soak up excess water on the land.
• A reduction in surface water in paddocks is known to help reduce a variety of animal diseases and the organisms that cause disease such as Liver Fluke.
• Help to act as a physical barrier to the movement of animals, which can decrease the spread of disease through animal-to-animal contact.
• Using hedgerows to slow winds and reduce excess soil moisture can increase grass growth.
• Provide a habitat for other beneficial insects that help with natural pest control.
• Hedgerows provide privacy and can reduce smell/noise pollution.

• When moving between their nest and feeding sites most wildlife like to follow linear features like hedgerows which give them some protection from the wind and rain.
• Hedgerows and other linear landscape features in agricultural landscapes can increase the connectivity between otherwise isolated plant, pollinator and wildlife populations.
• Ensure good connectivity between hedgerows and semi-natural habitats.
• If you can link in your new hedge with other semi-natural habitats in your area, then this will make it easier for wildlife to get to and from your new hedge safely and will complement the general ecology of the area.
• Remember that areas of scrub are also important sources of food for pollinators and biodiversity.

Hedgerow management for pollinators and biodiversity needs to be considered as part of other management objectives on the farm – stock control, shelter, screening, etc.

The first step is to assess your hedgerows and then make a plan for the farm.

Find out more in the ‘How to guide of Hedgerows for pollinators’:

• Plant a diverse range of species, with no more than 70%
  of one species.
• Use native plants of Irish provenance. These are best for
  biodiversity, and will help stop the import and spread of
  pests and disease.
• At least 5 plants/m in a double zig zag pattern.
• Plant a native hedgerow tree every 10 to 15m.
• Connecting the new hedgerow with existing habitats will
  make it easier for pollinators and other wildlife to get to and
  from your new hedge safely.

Take a look at the ‘Farmland: actions to help pollinators’ guidelines, or find other resources and information about our work with farmers here. 

The ‘Biodiversity on your Farm’ project will help you learn more about the species on your farm. Every week we will focus on a different species, and share a simple farmland biodiversity management tip, find out more here 

Across the year we will be highlighting 40 species, with a focus on pollinators, to take part, send your sightings here

We will also be promoting 10 native farmland plant species and their associated pollinators over the year.