What’s in the mix, and why it helps?
This mix combines hardy, stress-tolerant grasses for year-round ground cover and hoof traffic with clovers and other legumes that lift protein in the bite and fix their own nitrogen. Alongside white and red clover, lucerne/alfalfa, sainfoin and trefoil, we now place special emphasis on bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). It flowers for a long season and reliably draws bumblebees as well as less common wild bees such as leafcutter and resin bees in the Megachilidae family. Flowering herbs: chicory, ribwort plantain, yarrow, salad burnet, caraway and wild carrot, keep color and forage coming while their roots open soil structure and minerals. Based on field observations, the umbels of wild carrot and caraway tend to attract fewer bee pollinators than other species, but they still earn their place as host plants for charismatic butterflies, including the swallowtail (Papilio machaon), whose caterpillars we recorded on site. The net result is a resilient grassland that feeds cattle well, supports a broad guild of insects across the season, and offers cover and late-season seed for birds and small mammals.
Why mixes differ?
Small shifts in the species present and their proportions lead to different outcomes, as you can see at both edges of the first photo. A grazing-first recipe leans into persistent grasses and clovers so stock can keep it tight, and it still bounces back. A “more-flowers” recipe widens the herb palette and staggers blossom from spring through autumn; it is superb for insects and scenic value, and you will manage height and rest periods a little differently. One of our core tasks in PolliConnect is to trial these seed mixes under real farm and landscape conditions, so partners and practitioners can choose the right recipe for the job and the site.