An ode to wildflowers
I think we all love wildflowers, its hard not to like a field of bright buttercups or a carpet of bluebells in the wood, it gives us a sense of joy and is beneficial to our wellbeing. I have always admired wildflowers but having more time on my hands due to lockdown I have been trying to learn the names of the flowers, whilst on my allowed exercise walks, this has lead me to investigating them more closely and I have come to realise how vital they are to our ecosystem.
Wildflowers provide food for bees and butterflies in the form of pollen, they then go on to pollinate our food crops. Wildflowers absorb CO2 and pollution from the air.
Wildflower root systems help to stabilise soil and prevent erosion.
Wildflowers provide nesting sites and shelter.
Wildflowers attract insects for birds to eat as well as seed heads.
Wildflowers are easy to care for and prefer low fertility soil, so don't need fertilizers.
In other words wildflowers are pretty awesome. So how can we help them? We can make small plots of wildflowers in urban areas, some pollinators cannot fly long distances so need food sources dotted about. We can use a small area of our garden to plant wildflowers, even window boxes help. Information on wildlife gardening can be found on the RSPB website. We can leave verges to grow and not mow them. We can campaign to protect our green spaces.
What do we get in return? A system that helps our food growth, helps nature and provides a beautiful landscape for our wellbeing. What's not to like? As someone once said to grow a garden is to think of tomorrow.
Mel Rowell