The seeds are enough to plant 40 hectares of new wildflower areas and are being despatched by the Eden Project with funding from the Department for Education (DfE).
The gesture is in recognition of King Charles’ love of nature, and it is hoped it will give primary schools an opportunity to learn about nature and increase the biodiversity of their grounds.
As part of the initiative, the Eden Project has created free lesson resources for schools and families to learn how to make eco-decorations using natural objects found in their surrounding green spaces.
The packets of seeds include native annual wildflower species – cornflower, corn poppy, corn chamomile, corncockle, corn marigold and night-flowering catchfly – which if sown this spring, will be in bloom this summer.
The wildflowers will support a wide range of insects including bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Each packet covers around two square metres of blue, white, purple, red, and yellow flowers.
Since the Second World War, the UK has lost 98% of its wildflower habitats and today they account for less than 1% of the British countryside.
The Eden Project will distribute the seeds to schools in the coming weeks along with advice on where and how to plant them. A dedicated website has also been launched (see below).
Dan James, development director for the Eden Project, said: “Through the work of National Wildflower Centre, Eden Project works with organisations across the UK with projects to make new wildflower habitats that support wildlife and connect people to the natural world. This is a fantastic opportunity for the next generation to see the impact that wildflowers can have, even in small spaces.
“By encouraging our children to plant wildflower seeds we can work towards reversing the decline of pollinators that we are seeing across the UK which is so important for our future.”
It comes as registration for the DfE-funded National Education Nature Park initiative is due to open on May 18. The project is being led by the Natural History Museum, Royal Horticultural Society, and Royal Society and aims to enable pupils to take practical action to improve the biodiversity of their green spaces, before then mapping it online to see over time how the virtual park changes.
Elsewhere this week, the DfE has commissioned a series of lesson plans and other teaching materials for primary and secondary schools to explain the historical significance of the coronation. And the charity Living Paintings has designed and published a pack of tactile and audio resources that will enable blind and partially sighted children to learn about the coronation.
- Visit the dedicated Eden Project wildflower website via www.edenproject.com/learn/schools/wildflowers-in-schools
- For details of the National Education Nature Park project, visit https://bit.ly/3Np3Y4A
- For the DfE’s full range of coronation learning materials and resources, visit https://coronation.gov.uk/learning-materials-for-schools/