By Richard Croucher, Chairperson of Land Management Committee
One of the most exciting discoveries of the summer has been the return of a very small but very special resident – the Yellow Loosestrife Bee (Macropis europaea). This tiny solitary bee, once thought to be lost to our area, has made a remarkable comeback across YACWAG reserves and even beyond.
A Rare Wetland Specialist
The Yellow Loosestrife Bee is a true specialist and a fascinating one at that. Unlike most bees, it doesn’t collect nectar. Instead, it gathers the oily pollen of the Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris), a wetland plant that thrives on damp ditch banks. The bee uses this oil not only as food for its larvae but also to waterproof its underground nest, a clever adaptation to its wetland environment.
Sadly, both plant and bee have been in decline for decades. The increased mechanisation of farming and ditch clearance reduced the wild habitats where Yellow Loosestrife once flourished. As the plant disappeared, so too did the bee.
The Stowey Reserve Connection
When YACWAG purchased Stowey Reserve, early surveys revealed a few patches of Yellow Loosestrife growing naturally there – a hopeful sign. With sensitive management, those yellow spikes have since spread and strengthened. Then, during the first Covid lockdown in 2020, YACWAG founding members Tony and Faith, made an incredible discovery: a Yellow Loosestrife Bee at Stowey.
It was the first confirmed sighting in the area, and no one knew if the bees had been quietly surviving in low numbers or if they had recolonised from elsewhere – possibly from two nearest known colonies, Avalon Marshes and Bridgewater. Either way, their presence was cause for celebration.
Growing for the Future
Inspired by the find, Richard began experimenting how to grow and propagate Yellow Loosestrife himself. “I tried germinating seeds but failed,” he admits, “and that bothered me because I’ve got green fingers and my background is horticulture!”
A breakthrough came when he realised the plant spreads by underground roots. “In early spring, I carefully lifted a few small root sections, potted them up and kept them watered all summer. By winter, the pots were stuffed full of roots – it was amazing. Bingo, now I knew how to do it.”
With this success, Richard established a small nursery patch in his garden and carefully introduced the plant to two YACWAG reserves on Congresbury Moor (Footmead and New Croft) ensuring all plant material stayed strictly local. “We’re not bringing in anything from outside the parish,” he emphasises. “It’s about restoring what belongs here.”
The Bee Returns
Then came the moment no one expected. “In 2024, I thought I saw a Yellow Loosestrife Bee in my garden,” Richard recalls. “I dismissed it as they shouldn’t be here.” But in the summer of 2025, he was proved wrong. “I found three male bees circling the flowers, and later two females. They’d made it.”
Even more astonishing, during a field visit with naturalist Ray Barnett, male Yellow Loosestrife Bees were found at New Croft and Footmead in areas where Richard had planted small patches of the flower. Somehow, these tiny insects, which normally travel no more than a few metres from their nest, had crossed roads and open ground to find new habitat.
“How they knew where to go, I can’t say,” Richard laughs. “The distance from the Stowey Yellow loosestrife to my garden is almost a kilometre in a straight line. Ray compared it to moths finding each other through pheromones – maybe the plants somehow sent out a chemical ‘come and get me’ signal!”
A Local Conservation Success
This is truly a story of hope, patience, and nature’s resilience. It’s also a testament to careful, localised conservation – working with the landscape, not against it.
“The Yellow Loosestrife Bee’s return shows what happens when you protect and reconnect habitats,” says Richard. “Sometimes, you just have to give nature a chance – and it surprises you.”
A small bee with a big story – proof that even the tiniest species can inspire us to keep restoring and reconnecting the wild places in our community.
