Numbered Edition No 28. Designed & Signed by Vicky Lovatt
Moorcroft's Decription
RSPB Rainham Marshes is committed to saving the rarest bumblebee in England and Wales, the Shrill Carder bee, whose high-pitched buzz is an important part of our natural heritage. It now only exists in five isolated populations, with the bees at Rainham Marshes along the Thames Estuary now nesting in its tussocky grassland. All bumblebees rely on flowers for food in the form of nectar and pollen, and a continuous supply of suitable forage throughout the colony lifecycle is needed for survival. Rainham Marshes holds an abundance of fodder vetch and bird’s-foot trefoils, allowing the bees to thrive.
As a design on a round lidded box, Vicky provides a rare aerial view of the Shrill Carder bee, with wings open and nipped back, as they feast on the mustard-yellow claws of bird’s-foot trefoil, showcasing their pale grey-yellow colouring, black band of hair between their wings and unusual reddish-orange tail.
