Flowering fruit trees can provide nectar for pollinators from early until late in the year.

They can also produce some lovely fruit which we can share with other animals. Crab apples not only have an abundance of flowers and nectar but produce an abundance of small apples. Plum, cherry and pear trees are other favourites for biodiversity projects. The important principle with flowering fruit trees and biodiversity is to try and spread the flowering throughout the spring and the fruiting throughout the autumn.

Having early flowering fruit trees like Blackthorn and late fruit producing trees such as crab apples and pears gives an all year round opportunity for our foraging insects, birds and bats. Us humans also benefit.