One thing that has become absolutely clear during our week in Cardiff is that the greatest winged rival of the dragon—the national symbol of Wales—is the decidedly less terrifying, but strikingly attired bee. There is no educational, environmental, or community program that does not feature this ubiquitous insect as one of its main protagonists. The database used by students of the National Botanic Garden of Wales, for example, shows what flowers it collects pollen from and how many calories a given quantity of nectar provides it for the purposes of flight. This week, the National Museum composed the packages it sends to schools with flowering plants to cultivate. In 2018, an apiary with 90 000 bees was installed on the museum roof—an event that was not without precedent in the museum’s history. The Story Museum’s environmental awareness classes also featured the black-and-yellow striped insect, and the city, as part of a project developed by the local university, is currently seeking to style itself as officially “bee-friendly”, thereby setting an example for other municipalities to follow.
No matter whom we asked, everyone knew exactly what their local government’s objectives were, and most institutions and civil organisations were squarely behind them. In Wales, it is unity that one feels has special power. Everything the museum work on they truly believe in—and the results affirm this.
