Supporting information available to assist in re-use of this dataset
This dataset contains information on the location of the count, some environmental variables, and the number of insects of each type counted for the Flower-Insect Timed Count survey as part of the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS). It covers the years 2017 to 2023 (note that 2017 was a pilot year and has less data than subsequent years). The "public" FIT Count asks volunteer citizen scientists to count the number of insects, identified into broad taxon groups, seen landing on the flowers of a particular target plant within a 50 cm × 50 cm quadrat during a period of ten minutes. The "1 km square" FIT Count uses the same methodology but is carried out by PoMS volunteers and staff as part of the PoMS 1 km square survey, which takes place within a randomly allocated set of 1 km squares across the UK, and also gathers data on pan-trapped insects (see separate dataset). In 2017-2020 the 1 km square survey took place in England, Scotland and Wales only; from 2021 the survey has full UK coverage, but with limited data from Northern Ireland in 2021 which was a pilot year for that country. UK PoMS is co-ordinated by UKCEH, with the following delivery partners up to 2023: the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, British Trust for Ornithology, Buglife, Hymettus, Natural History Museum, the University of Reading and University of Leeds. PoMS Steering Group members up to 2023 were JNCC, DAERA, Defra, NatureScot, Welsh Government, All-Ireland Pollinators Plan, Natural England, Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture, and National Biodiversity Network. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/d706088c-9d48-4be5-b156-6ed6ad5e0618
Flower-Insect Timed Count data from the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, 2017-2023