This autumn, local Edinburgh artist Natalie Taylor is bringing her Foodbank for Pollinators to Lauriston Farm. We’re working together with local community groups to create a new wildflower patch for pollinators. Natalie’s project is supported by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Williamson Trust, and is part of a series of community-led art projects across north Edinburgh.

What is the Foodbank for Pollinators?

The Foodbank for Pollinators is a meaningful word, cut in large letters into a grassy verge, and seeded with wildflowers. The idea behind it is simple but powerful: to help restore habitats for pollinating insects by creating beautiful, nectar-rich spaces. Natalie made her first Foodbank for Pollinators for the Goethe Institute in London in 2021. The project has been growing since, with two others commissioned by North Edinburgh Arts. Many Edinburgh locals will know SCRAN FIR BEES on Ferry Road, which is into its fourth year. Now, with the support of local organisations and our volunteers, a new word will be growing at the Farm in 2026.

Why That Name?

The name is to highlight the emergency situation for pollinators. Since the 1940s, the UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows, leaving bees, butterflies and other vital insects struggling to find food and shelter. Add to that: pesticides, climate change and many wildflowers being taken out of gardens as ‘weeds’. It is no wonder these important species are in trouble.

As Natalie explains:

“When I realised that one in every three bites of food we eat depends on insect pollination, I thought ‘We have a real problem on our hands’. As an artist, I asked myself: What can I do? The problem feels enormous. But maybe art can help people see again — to reconnect, revalue, and restore”

Through the Foodbank for Pollinators project, Natalie is using art and creativity to spark important conversations about wildflowers and pollinators and the vital role they play in our food system.

What’s Happening at Lauriston Farm?

Natalie is working with Hannah King at the farm to run a series of workshops to make the new Foodbank for Pollinators. The participants have come up with the wording and made the seeding tools that will create the living art work. The seeding tools are handmade paper rattles, specially designed by Natalie, assembled by community volunteers, and decorated by the Spartans family group.

Assembling a seed rattle

Decorating the rattles

Seed rattles in the process of decoration

When it’s all ready, participants will come together in a seed sowing ceremony. They will use the rattles to shake Yellow Rattle seeds into the word, in a fun and symbolic way. This is a celebration of creativity, ecology and community spirit.

Why Yellow Rattle?

We’re sowing the word with Yellow Rattle, often called the ‘meadow maker’. This small but mighty seed opens up grassy ground by reducing the dominance of coarse grasses. When the grasses thin out, wildflowers have space to grow.

As Natalie puts it:

“It’s like a break in the clouds that lets the sunlight through.”

Visitors to the farm can look out for the word appearing on the wildflower mound this winter, and the flowers coming through in 2026.  By next summer, the area should be alive with colour and buzzing with life. Long after the workshops have finished, we hope this piece will prompt discussion and inspiration about saving our pollinators.