A selection of wildflowers including Granny Bonnet,cowslip and wild grasses
invertebrates - Animals without backbones (Kidport 2012)
I am enjoying a day off in my lovely garden in the rural part of Abergavenny.
I am a novice to gardening, but I am really rather proud of my wildflower section that seems to be growing really well.
A study from Prof Jonathan Baille of the Zoological Society said that insects, slugs and snails may not be seen as lovely as Tigers or Elephants, but they are just as important to providing the food we eat and the countryside we love. The risk of the butterfly and bee is at risk of dying out.(Telegraph 2012)
“These critters form the basis of many of the essential benefits that nature provides; earthworms recycle waste nutrients, coral reefs support a myriad of life forms and bees help pollinate crops,” he said. “If they disappear, humans could soon follow.”
The UN body asked the society to conduct a survey to ensure that animals are not endanger of becoming extinct. As invertebrates make up to 98% of the animal species Prof Baille was shocked to discover 'that roughly one fifth of vertebrates and plants were threatened with extinction, but it was not clear if this was representative of the small spineless creatures that make up the majority of life on the planet,” he said. “The initial findings in this report indicate that 20 per cent of all species may be threatened.”
So what has this study got to do with Butterflies and Bees?
Well, research has shown that due to losing their habitats through various ways such as intense farming, building, use of pesticides and loss of grassland, the butterfly and bee are losing out.
So what can we do?
Wildflowers provide food for the bee and butterfly and also help pollinate crops. If we lose these two lovable creatures, our own diet will change considerably. You can do your bit by planting wildflowers in your garden. I have noticed throughout Abergavenny, round abouts and certain verges are now full of wildflowers. These can be herbs such as Lemon Balm, Thyme, Borage, Mint plus you get to use them in your kitchen.
Flowers such as Cornflower, Poppy,Lavender,Mallow,Cowslip not only look beautiful in the garden but will attract both bees and butterflies.
Lemon Balm Plant
Also some of the windflowers are fit for human consumption too and really add a dash of colour to your food. You can also grow hedgerow fruits such as Blackberries and Loganberries.
Herb selection including Parsley, Garlic Chives, Thyme, Sage and Mint
In conclusion we can see that not only by growing a wildflower garden will look pretty but it is essential food for both the bee and butterfly to survive as well as assisting us to have a full and nutritious diet as well as some of the plants and fruits are edible so very yummy too.
For more information on what plants to grow, go to:-
References
http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/animalindexinv.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/9510234/Butterflies-more-endangered-than-tigers.html
