tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/wildflowers-12215/articles
Wildflowers – The Conversation
2024-03-01T17:24:50Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222311
2024-03-01T17:24:50Z
2024-03-01T17:24:50Z
Wild solitary bees offer a vital pollination service – but their nutritional needs aren’t understood
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576508/original/file-20240219-20-4ra04s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Solitary bees, including this Nomada goodeniana, often feed on nectar from specific flowers - in this case, white hawthorn. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/soft-closeup-on-male-goodens-nomad-2151214787">HWall/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As I walk around the supermarket, I pick up vegetables for tomorrow’s dinner, eggs and bread for tonight and some sweet treats for the week. By choosing a range of different food types, I’ll eat a wide variety of nutrients. But what if bread was the only option available? And another shop just sold a different type of loaf? Or only oranges?</p>
<p>This may sound far-fetched, but for bees – insects that depend on pollen and nectar for their nutrition – that’s the equivalent of feeding from a large field of just one type of plant. Some bees feed on a wide range of plants. Others, including some of the UK’s <a href="https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/other-bees/">200 wild solitary bee species</a> are specialists, like the <a href="https://bwars.com/bee/melittidae/melitta-dimidiata">sainfoin bee</a> that only visits one type of flower for pollen. </p>
<p>While some UK bee species are thriving, many have declined as a result of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12667472/">changes in the abundance and variety</a> of flowers across our landscapes.</p>
<p>Much less is known about the biology of solitary bees compared to that of domesticated honeybees or bumblebees, which have been extensively studied in large numbers under lab conditions. By comparison, solitary bees don’t form colonies or have a queen-worker system. The nutritional needs of each solitary bee species varies so it’s difficult to know what diet they would need in order to thrive during experimental conditions. </p>
<p>Yet, they provide a vital pollination service for some of our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880921001511?casa_token=tdHy6f7VJfQAAAAA:iPS3yu_jmGdEgHMQV_tUgvZr9F3cyK52y9T1fuBxMjl2ZaOLh715KiVECzE8EL_RjvgvUl5A">flowering crops</a> and help maintain our wildflower populations. So understanding their nutrition in greater detail could help us make sure the right flower foods are available to them.</p>
<h2>The bees’ needs</h2>
<p>For my PhD, I’m studying the different fats that are available in pollen from UK wildflowers and the fats found in the bodies of different bee species. Fats are essential to healthy growth and development in bees, however there’s huge variation in the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/2/132">quantity and quality</a> of food that different flowers provide. Cataloguing that information is complicated.</p>
<p>I’m specifically researching why solitary bees, many of which have specialised relationships with their food plants, visit certain flowers.</p>
<p>Nutrition is complex. Huge monocultures, (growing one crop species in a field at a time), provide a homogenous nutritional offering. Areas with a wider diversity of flowers can provide more nutritional diversity, but extracting enough pollen or nectar to analyse is challenging. </p>
<p>Just because one food source has high protein levels, it might not contain the essential ones or may have a poor fat content. If I recommend that you eat nothing but oranges because they’re rich in vitamin C, you’d miss out on other key nutrients such as protein. Similarly, with pollen and nectar, we need to understand the content of what bees are eating. </p>
<p>Nectar is a sugary liquid which provides lots of carbohydrates. Bees drink it using their tongues. Pollen provides the protein and fat content bees need and is collected on their bodies for transport back to their nests. The nutritional content of both pollen and nectar varies widely between flowers. To understand what food is available to them over <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature16532">large areas</a>, we need to have nutritional information for a lot of different plants. </p>
<h2>How to feed wild bees</h2>
<p>Despite our lack of knowledge about the precise nutritional needs of bees, there are ways we can help feed them. Solitary bees can be found in your <a href="https://www.mygardenofathousandbees.com/the-film">garden</a> or local park. To learn more about them, start by trying to recognise them. Some don’t look like bees because they can be very small or hairless and some can easily be mistaken for wasps in the case of <a href="https://bwars.com/category/taxonomic-hierarchy/bee-4"><em>Nomada</em></a> species, with their black and yellow banding and hairless bodies. </p>
<p>Entomologist and ecologist Steven Falk maintains <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/63075200@N07/collections/72157631518508520/">an excellent stock of photos online</a> and has published a comprehensive <a href="https://www.nhbs.com/field-guide-to-the-bees-of-great-britain-and-ireland-book">ID guide</a>. </p>
<p>Letting a green space go wild or choosing <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-019-00180-8">seed mixes with diverse flowers</a> can encourage a variety of wild bees. Even small patches of wildflowers can make a difference, especially at times of year when few other flowers are out, as has been shown in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-018-0769-y">urban areas</a>. </p>
<p>Avoid plants bred to have little or no pollen or nectar. Ensuring food is available throughout their active period is key. The first bees emerge in March and the last ones feed until October. So while it’s good to have plenty of flowers available in peak summer when lots of bees are active, bees emerging from over-wintering need food in spring and those stocking up before winter need flowers to forage from. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576829/original/file-20240220-26-bsp0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Close up of colourful wildflowers" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576829/original/file-20240220-26-bsp0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576829/original/file-20240220-26-bsp0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576829/original/file-20240220-26-bsp0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576829/original/file-20240220-26-bsp0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576829/original/file-20240220-26-bsp0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576829/original/file-20240220-26-bsp0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576829/original/file-20240220-26-bsp0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A colourful mix of wildflowers provides more diverse nutrition for wild pollinators such as solitary bees.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/search/wildflower-meadow?image_type=photo">Tohuwabohu 1976/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Useful resources for selecting plants to bring bees into your garden include the RHS <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/conservation-biodiversity/wildlife/plants-for-pollinators">plants for pollinators</a> list, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s <a href="https://beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org/">Bee Kind garden-scoring tool</a>, plus planting recommendations from <a href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/beefriendly-plants-every-season">Friends of the Earth</a> and <a href="https://www.buglife.org.uk/get-involved/gardening-for-bugs/planting-for-bugs-2/#:%7E:text=Open%2C%20daisy%2Dtype%20flowers%20and,such%20as%20Jasmine%20and%20Honeysuckle.">Buglife</a>. </p>
<p>Our wild solitary bees are an ecologically important and fascinating group of insects. Steps we take to support them in our gardens and at the landscape scale are key to maintaining the diversity of insects that pollinate so many of our flowers and crops. Even the smallest patches of wildflowers can provide much needed food for hungry bees and, above all, a varied menu.</p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ellen Baker receives funding from NERC and is a member of the British Ecological Society. </span></em></p>
The nutritional needs of bees are complex and monoculture crops aren’t providing a diverse diet. Introducing more diverse wildflower meadows and green spaces could benefit wild pollinators.
Ellen Baker, PhD Candidate, Nutritional Ecology, University of Oxford
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/210813
2023-08-07T16:12:24Z
2023-08-07T16:12:24Z
Ivy, dandelions and other common wildflowers are often seen as weeds – but they’re a crucial resource for pollinating insects
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541512/original/file-20230807-25161-zpbybv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1283%2C110%2C3318%2C2476&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A bumblebee flying over a blooming bramble bush.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bumblebee-fly-over-blackberry-flowers-1420563443">Legonkov Vladimir</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the end of the second world war, factors such as more intensive farming and urbanisation have reduced the abundance of wildflowers in Britain. In fact, the past 90 years have seen the loss of <a href="https://meadows.plantlife.org.uk/">over 97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows</a>. </p>
<p>Simply <a href="https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/icad.12085">planting more wildflowers</a> seems an obvious solution – although difficult on a large scale. There’s just one problem. Many common British wildflowers are <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.10475">undervalued and even disliked</a> by the public, who consider them to be weeds. </p>
<p>These flowers, which include many species from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/dandelion">dandelion</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/clover-plant">clover</a> to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/bramble">bramble</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/ivy-plant">ivy</a>, provide large amounts of pollen and nectar for bees and other insects. But some people consider dandelions a nuisance in their gardens. Others dislike brambles because of their thorns and vigorous growth. And even plants like ivy, with inconspicuous flowers, are wrongly thought to be unhelpful to bees.</p>
<p>Greater appreciation of wildflowers like these will not only help to improve the food supply for bees and other flower-visiting insects, it will also help reconnect people with plant diversity and nature. So, what will it take for people to accept and enjoy more wildflowers in their lawns, parks, roadsides and fields?</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Many people think of plants as nice-looking greens. Essential for clean air, yes, but simple organisms. A step change in research is shaking up the way scientists think about plants: they are far more complex and more like us than you might imagine. This blossoming field of science is too delightful to do it justice in one or two stories.</em>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/plant-curious-137238?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=PlantCurious2023&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of a series, Plant Curious</a>, exploring scientific studies that challenge the way you view plantlife.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>One clear answer is education. In Britain, knowledge about plants seems to be lacking. A phenomenon called “plant blindness” – an inability to notice or appreciate plants, distinguish between species or recognise their importance – could be one reason for negative public attitudes towards native plants.</p>
<p>In 2005, a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00219266.2005.9655963">study of UK A-level students</a> found that 86% could name only three or fewer common wildflowers. And in 2017, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00219266.2005.9655963">only 3.5% of British participants</a> in a poll commissioned by UK conservation charity Plantlife were able to name a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/red-clover">red clover</a> correctly. These figures show the disconnect between people and plants.</p>
<p>This is surely not a good thing. Bees and other flower-visiting insects rely heavily on flowers, and most life on Earth depends either directly or indirectly on plants. Although underappreciated, common native wildflowers are an important part of this.</p>
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<img alt="Dandelions in profusion on a road verge." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540784/original/file-20230802-15-r6ay4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540784/original/file-20230802-15-r6ay4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540784/original/file-20230802-15-r6ay4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540784/original/file-20230802-15-r6ay4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540784/original/file-20230802-15-r6ay4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540784/original/file-20230802-15-r6ay4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540784/original/file-20230802-15-r6ay4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Dandelions in profusion on a road verge.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Francis Ratnieks</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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<h2>Sources of pollen</h2>
<p>Ivy is a common climbing plant that grows on walls, tree trunks and in hedges throughout Britain’s towns and countryside. Ivy is often falsely accused of strangling the trees it climbs or parasitizing them by embedding its roots into the tree itself. </p>
<p>But the reality is far less sinister. During the autumn, ivy blooms and becomes the main source of <a href="https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/icad.12033">nectar and pollen</a> for a wide range of insects, including <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/honeybee">honey bees</a>, <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bees-and-wasps/ivy-bee">ivy bees</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/bumblebee">bumble bees</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/hover-fly">hover flies</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/butterfly-insect">butterflies</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/wasp">wasps</a>. In fact, pollen analysis from work published in 2021 on honey bee hives in Sussex suggests that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11829-021-09807-7">90% of the pollen that is collected in autumn</a> comes from ivy. </p>
<p>The nectar and pollen provided by ivy’s open flowers are also accessible to all insects. Even insects with shorter tongues can gather ivy nectar. In contrast, plants like <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/lavender">lavender</a> secrete nectar at the base of the flower tube and thereby restrict access to insects with longer tongues such as bumble bees and butterflies. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Honey bee (right) gathering pollen and nectar from ivy flowers alongside a hover fly (left)." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540792/original/file-20230802-23-6oqczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540792/original/file-20230802-23-6oqczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540792/original/file-20230802-23-6oqczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540792/original/file-20230802-23-6oqczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540792/original/file-20230802-23-6oqczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540792/original/file-20230802-23-6oqczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540792/original/file-20230802-23-6oqczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Honey bee (right) gathering pollen and nectar from ivy flowers alongside a hover fly (left).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Francis Ratnieks</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>Bramble, also called blackberry, parallels ivy. It is abundant in both urban and rural settings and its open flowers are accessible to all types of insect. </p>
<p>Bramble blooms for a long period of time, starting in late May and continuing into autumn. In one study, when we used pollen traps (an apparatus that dislodges some of the pollen pellets from honey bee legs as they return to the hive), we found that <a href="https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/icad.12436">31% of the pollen collected</a> from late May to early August comes from bramble. </p>
<h2>What about weeds?</h2>
<p>Dandelions and white clover are native wildflower species that also provide pollen and nectar. Both are often found in lawns but are not always appreciated. Garden centres even sell herbicides to eliminate these and other “weeds” from lawns.</p>
<p>Interestingly, five native wildflower species in Britain are officially classified as “injurious weeds”, and having them on your land is technically illegal. Among these are <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/ragwort">ragwort</a> and two species of both <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/docks">dock</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/thistle">thistle</a>. These plants are found almost anywhere, from road verges to fields, waste land and even gardens. </p>
<p>However, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14132">our more recent research</a>, which was carried out in Sussex, revealed that these so-called injurious weeds attract twice as many flower-visiting insects as wildflower species that are officially recommended as “good for pollinators”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A bee collecting pollen from ragwort blossom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541452/original/file-20230807-4160-t931ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541452/original/file-20230807-4160-t931ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541452/original/file-20230807-4160-t931ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541452/original/file-20230807-4160-t931ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541452/original/file-20230807-4160-t931ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541452/original/file-20230807-4160-t931ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541452/original/file-20230807-4160-t931ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A bee collecting pollen from ragwort blossom.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bee-collects-pollen-some-ragwort-blossom-208368913">Ian Grainger/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Appreciating native plants</h2>
<p>To truly encourage appreciation and support for native wildflowers, we need to shift people’s perspective. Instead of viewing lawns with wildflowers as unattractive or a sign of laziness, let’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12085">celebrate the benefits</a> they bring. It’s certainly easier, cheaper and probably safer to enjoy existing wildflowers than to go to the trouble of removing them with herbicides.</p>
<p>Many of these underappreciated wildflowers are already popular beyond their value as nectar and pollen sources. Blackberries, for example, are widely eaten as a wild food in Britain, while the name Ivy holds a special place for some. </p>
<p>We must recognise that local native wildflower species with pollinator-friendly flowers already exist almost everywhere. By appreciating and supporting them, we not only assist pollinators, but also gain psychological benefits by reconnecting with the wonders of plants and nature. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 20,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210813/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Native common wildflowers provide large amounts of pollen and nectar for insects – but many are undervalued by the public.
Francis Ratnieks, Professor of Apiculture, University of Sussex
Nick Balfour, Research Technician in the School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/206390
2023-05-25T01:01:52Z
2023-05-25T01:01:52Z
Could wildflowers and bug hotels help avert an insect apocalypse? We just don’t know – yet
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528125/original/file-20230524-29-9g5xse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C54%2C5160%2C3383&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Insects are in rapid decline. One study found the global total is falling by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320718313636">2.5% a year</a>, with insect species going extinct eight times faster than mammals, birds and reptiles. </p>
<p>While scientists don’t yet know when insect populations could drop to the point of no return, we can’t keep losing species without, ultimately, a catastrophic outcome. </p>
<p>Many people are concerned about insect biodiversity and trying do something about it. One way is to give some habitat back to insects. <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/garden/119011599/how-to-grow-a-wildflower-meadow">Wildflower meadows</a>, for example, are being sown in parks and other urban green spaces. </p>
<p>Typically, these are mixtures of mostly non-native species chosen to provide nectar, pollen, and other resources for insects, as well as visual floral appeal. They are often deployed for other reasons, like reducing the need for mowing and its associated costs and carbon footprint. </p>
<p>But before we plant wildflower fields or build “bug hotels”, we need to better understand how these measures help – and when they don’t. The lack of robust research means there is still a lot we don’t know. Our team of researchers at the University of Canterbury is trying to fill some of this knowledge gap.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1628922661027057665"}"></div></p>
<h2>What we don’t know</h2>
<p>The long-term potential of wildflowers is unclear. They seem to attract insects, but there are many unanswered questions. </p>
<p>Do these insects come from elsewhere or is there a genuine bolstering of populations? Which insects benefit most? What is the balance between pests and beneficial species? Can exotic plants support an increase in native insects? Do the effects extend beyond planted areas, and if so, how far?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/insects-worldwide-study-reveals-widespread-decline-since-1925-137089">Insects: worldwide study reveals widespread decline since 1925</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Bug hotels, which generally consist of artificial homes for insects, raise similar questions. As their design, materials, and construction are more variable, it’s even more difficult to assess their efficacy. </p>
<p>This is something we need examine further as some designs may be more effective than others. This will depend on the mix of insects in the vicinity. What works well in one place may be counter-productive in another.</p>
<h2>Long-term commitment</h2>
<p>Enthusiasm for sowing wildflowers and building bug refuges rarely extends to ongoing upkeep and long-term monitoring. Many studies are short-term, local scale, and rather ad hoc, making it difficult to compare and draw broader conclusions. </p>
<p>The results are often unpublished or difficult to find, hidden in reports about other things. This means, if we are to use these insect ecosystem revival approaches effectively, we need to draw this evidence together and implement more long-term studies across a wide variety of contexts.</p>
<p>Fortunately, studies like this are relatively easy to do. They just require a commitment to keeping them going. We also need to be sharing the results in ways that allow meaningful comparisons. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/insects-are-vanishing-worldwide-now-its-making-it-harder-to-grow-food-199826">Insects are vanishing worldwide – now it's making it harder to grow food</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The research methods used by scientists to study insect populations don’t require expensive equipment and can easily be replicated by volunteers, community groups and school students of all ages. For example, <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-make-pitfall-trap-to-catch-insects.html">pitfall traps</a>, which measure insect activity on the ground, can be yoghurt pots sunk into the soil. </p>
<p>The educational possibilities are many, from science fair projects to basic numeracy skills. Similar to birdwatching, volunteers could do five-minute bug counts to see what insects visit flowers and “hotels”. </p>
<p>Other entomological methods such as “beating” (shaking a low-hanging branch over a white sheet to see what falls out) are just as easy. The important point is to choose methods and a sampling frequency that are sustainable, and stick to it.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1660442923060830208"}"></div></p>
<h2>Understanding bug populations</h2>
<p>Baseline studies before establishing a meadow or bug hotel would make research like this even more effective, but this is rarely done. This is why we have been doing baseline studies of areas where wildflower meadows are planned at the University of Canterbury. We want to understand the environment, and insect populations, before the introduction of the wildflowers.</p>
<p>Although all the available evidence suggests these meadows will significantly increase the number and diversity of insects in the area, it’s surprising how many insects we’ve found in our baseline studies, including lots of tiny parasitic wasps, which tell us the insects they live off must also be around, even though we have not seen so many of them. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-the-natural-world-if-all-the-insects-disappear-111886">What happens to the natural world if all the insects disappear?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These baseline studies will allow us to see how the composition of the insect community changes after meadows are sown. We may even find some kinds of insects decrease in numbers while others flourish. These details are important for assessing the overall impacts of the meadow.</p>
<p>In the process, we may also counter the trend towards disconnection from nature, particularly among young people. Wildflower meadows, bug hotels and other interventions could be a wonderful way to “rewild” our urban spaces, and bring some nature back into people’s lives. </p>
<p>If we want to know the best way to use such measures, however, we need to monitor their impacts. This can be an interesting, fun way to engage with and learn about nature, and to add value to community gardens and replanting projects.</p>
<p>It can also provide important scientific data to help us more effectively provide the space insects need to thrive alongside us.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206390/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Cruickshank does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
There’s a lot of enthusiasm for wildflower fields and bug hotels. But before introducing these insect-saving measures, we need to better understand when they help – and when they don’t.
Rob Cruickshank, Lecturer – Teaching & Administration, University of Canterbury
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/204422
2023-05-24T09:52:43Z
2023-05-24T09:52:43Z
Tiny but tenacious: arctic-alpine plants are engineers and warning bells
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527264/original/file-20230519-23-iz657c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1640%2C920&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Purple saxifrage, snow pearlwort and drooping saxifrage (left to right).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Watts</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When most people consider the arctic, or high-altitude mountain landscapes, they think of endless snow, ice and bare rock. But pastel-coloured flowers, sometimes just a few millimetres wide, bloom in these dramatic places too. The miniature flowers not only weather some of the toughest habitats on Earth, but can also help engineer the landscape for other species. </p>
<hr>
<iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/tiny-but-tenacious-arctic-alpine-plants-are-engineers-and-warning-bells-204422&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Don’t be fooled by their delicate petals. Some species of rock jasmine and sandwort grow at <a href="https://hal.science/hal-03011674/document">well over 6,000 metres</a> on Mount Everest, while <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tax.12450">purple saxifrage</a> flourishes on the northernmost point of land in the world – Kaffeklubben Island, north of Greenland – and throughout the Arctic, Alaska and the tips of the European Alps. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527265/original/file-20230519-29-id2up7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527265/original/file-20230519-29-id2up7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527265/original/file-20230519-29-id2up7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527265/original/file-20230519-29-id2up7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527265/original/file-20230519-29-id2up7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527265/original/file-20230519-29-id2up7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527265/original/file-20230519-29-id2up7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527265/original/file-20230519-29-id2up7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trailing azalea close up.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Watts</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Plants in freezing cold environments are typically small and often form as ground-hugging rosettes, or dense tufts with short stems, known as cushions. Antarctic pearlwort <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1550865">sits no more than 5cm high</a> and displays a tight bunch of minute yellow blooms. The <a href="https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/arctic-alpine-plants-of-ben-lawers">summits of the Scottish Highlands</a>, where temperatures can drop to -27°C in winter, are home to <a href="https://www.scotlink.org/a-future-for-mountain-plants/">tiny flowers</a> also found in the Arctic, such as moss campion, dwarf willow, trailing azalea and starry saxifrage.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Many people think of plants as nice-looking greens. Essential for clean air, yes, but simple organisms. A step change in research is shaking up the way scientists think about plants: they are far more complex and more like us than you might imagine. This blossoming field of science is too delightful to do it justice in one or two stories.</em>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/plant-curious-137238?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=PlantCurious2023&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of a series, Plant Curious</a>, exploring scientific studies that challenge the way you view plantlife.</em></p>
<p>Although plants such as these may appear fragile, their minute size helps them cope with freezing weather and fierce winds. Low stature and tightly packed leaves act as an aerodynamic trap and storage system for water and solar radiation. Microspaces within the dense, dome-like foliage are efficient structures for retaining moisture and heat. An arctic-alpine cushion’s internal temperature <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168945210002001">can be 15°C warmer than its surroundings</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525116/original/file-20230509-29-a4n04p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525116/original/file-20230509-29-a4n04p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525116/original/file-20230509-29-a4n04p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525116/original/file-20230509-29-a4n04p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525116/original/file-20230509-29-a4n04p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525116/original/file-20230509-29-a4n04p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525116/original/file-20230509-29-a4n04p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525116/original/file-20230509-29-a4n04p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trailing azalea has tiny pink flowers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Watts</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Pioneer plants</h2>
<p>Cushion plants and mosses can be integral to their local environment (known as <a href="https://we.copernicus.org/articles/10/44/2010/">keystone species</a>) and <a href="https://www.research-collection.ethz.ch/bitstream/handle/20.500.11850/488365/3/2186-Textodelarti%CC%81culo-10166-1-10-20210429.pdf">ecosystem engineers</a> because they stabilise their harsh microclimate, and are often the first to colonise bare ground. As the cushions grow, they <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1890/14-2443.1?casa_token=Qi7PtpgnLeYAAAAA%3AygjLvorgq0pcnjiH2kaLJdd_3OYtaX1sATLSTIrR519Yz22IxEC-2ncNu8d2D_46CHCyroZY0OYI_A">improve the moisture and nutrient content</a> of thin soils by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207233.2015.1027594">accumulating organic material</a> both directly within the plant itself, and through their root systems. By <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1657/1523-0430%282007%2939%5B229%3AMMOCPA%5D2.0.CO%3B2">buffering temperature extremes</a>, cushions reduce the frost risk in their immediate surroundings. These processes create a habitat more suitable for less stress-tolerant plant species including arctic-alpines in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1657/1523-0430(2007)39%5B229:MMOCPA%5D2.0.CO;2">daisy</a> and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3236739">pea</a> families.</p>
<p>Cushion formers are therefore vital <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17550870902926504">“nurse” plants</a> in mountain and polar regions. They also shelter <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3360034/">small arthropods</a> including <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1657/1523-0430%282006%2938%5B224%3ACPAMSF%5D2.0.CO%3B2">beetles</a> and tiny wingless insects called <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-021-02247-y">springtails</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527224/original/file-20230519-23-l30cw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527224/original/file-20230519-23-l30cw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527224/original/file-20230519-23-l30cw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=611&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527224/original/file-20230519-23-l30cw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=611&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527224/original/file-20230519-23-l30cw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=611&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527224/original/file-20230519-23-l30cw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=768&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527224/original/file-20230519-23-l30cw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=768&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527224/original/file-20230519-23-l30cw2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=768&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rove beetle on snow pearlwort.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Watts</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These animals may in turn <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1890/ES12-00106.1">pollinate the plants they take refuge in</a>, and provide food for others higher up the food chain. </p>
<h2>An alarming trend</h2>
<p>However, these tiny arctic-alpine plants are now sounding a warning bell for the loss of biodiversity (the richness and variety of living things on earth) due to climate change. The plants have an <a href="https://www.britishandirishbotany.org/index.php/bib/article/view/6">important relationship with snow</a>, which offers them protection from disturbance and erosion. But rising temperatures are causing earlier snow melt, allowing the spread of other species previously restricted to lower altitudes and latitudes. Consequently, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01390.x">taller generalist plants</a>, such as common grasses and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperaceae">sedges</a> are crowding out the smaller arctic-alpines. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525121/original/file-20230509-21-8xqdqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525121/original/file-20230509-21-8xqdqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525121/original/file-20230509-21-8xqdqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525121/original/file-20230509-21-8xqdqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525121/original/file-20230509-21-8xqdqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525121/original/file-20230509-21-8xqdqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525121/original/file-20230509-21-8xqdqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Snow pearlwort growing on Scottish munro Ben Lawers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Watts</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>High mountain areas are <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn6697">warming at twice the global average</a> and are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/geb.12469">geographically isolated</a> from other places with similar climates, leaving the specialist flowers nowhere to relocate to.</p>
<p>Arctic-alpine plant numbers are plummeting <a href="https://bsbi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2023/02/BSBI-Plant-Atlas-2020-summary-report-Britain-in-English-WEB.pdf">in Britain</a> and climate change is impacting numbers <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0005-6">across the world</a>, threatening the future of species that depend on them. <a href="https://www.britishandirishbotany.org/index.php/bib/article/view/6">Snow pearlwort</a>, a cushion plant usually no bigger than a penny, is the <a href="https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/2022/july-2022-news/on-the-elevator-to-extinction-arctic-alpine-plants-endangered-in-scottish-highlands/">first flowering plant in Britain</a> to have its <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union Conservation of Nature</a> status moved from vulnerable to endangered due to climate change. Our research using <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320722001732?via%3Dihub">long-term monitoring data from the Scottish Highlands</a> has shown that snow pearlwort, mountain sandwort and drooping saxifrage are withdrawing uphill and face mountaintop extinction because there is no higher ground left for them to retreat to as temperatures rise.</p>
<p>If we lose these plants from their British mountaintop outposts – at the edge of where they occur globally – this will signal that their strongholds in the Arctic and the Alps are also in danger.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525122/original/file-20230509-15-q84d13.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525122/original/file-20230509-15-q84d13.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525122/original/file-20230509-15-q84d13.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525122/original/file-20230509-15-q84d13.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525122/original/file-20230509-15-q84d13.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525122/original/file-20230509-15-q84d13.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525122/original/file-20230509-15-q84d13.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525122/original/file-20230509-15-q84d13.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Moss campion is a mountain wildflower.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Watts</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Polar and mountain regions are havens for biodiversity, nurturing <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2011.06984.x">species found nowhere else in the world</a>. We risk losing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169534719300904">the cultural and inspirational value</a> that rare species give us, with implications for the preservation of our natural heritage.</p>
<p>Plants are the building blocks of habitats and food webs on which other lifeforms across the planet depend, but they are frequently overlooked in conservation news stories. There’s a name for this phenomenon - <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ppp3.51">plant blindness</a>. Scientists, nature writers and the media usually turn to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rec.13701">trees</a> or species with <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-021-00912-2">large colourful flowers</a> to open people’s eyes to the importance of plant life.</p>
<p>But we must celebrate and protect our tiniest of plants. If we don’t the spectrum of diversity across earth’s extremes will be lost for generations to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Helen Watts receives funding from the University of Stirling, Woodland Trust, Corrour Estate, Forest Research, The Scottish Forestry Trust, The National Trust for Scotland, Future Woodlands Scotland and the Macaulay Development Trust. She is affiliated with The Mountain Woodland Action Group and is on the Committee for Scotland for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Her research on arctic-alpine plants at Ben Lawers NNR utilised 40 years of long-term monitoring data collected together with staff and volunteers from The National Trust for Scotland.</span></em></p>
Why we need to pay more attention to these minute flowers and how they survive in some of the harshest places in the world.
Sarah Watts, PhD Researcher in Plant Ecology and Conservation, University of Stirling
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/204504
2023-04-27T15:02:39Z
2023-04-27T15:02:39Z
Dandelions are a lifeline for bees on the brink – we should learn to love them
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523208/original/file-20230427-961-e42c9v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4500%2C2997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dandelion-grass-yellow-flower-green-close-1950501952">Elvira Tursynbayeva/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/dandelion">Dandelions</a>, love them or hate them, are <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/make-yours-dandelion-spring">blooming in abundance</a> all over the UK this spring. As an ecologist who studies the insects which visit these flowers, so redolent of sunshine, I have never been able to understand why anyone might hate them. </p>
<p>Why do some people despair when they see a dandelion poking through the grass in their garden, or through the concrete on their drive? Most see dandelions as “weeds”: they don’t want them around their house and will reach for the lawnmower, or worse still, a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1618866719309628">can of weed killer</a>, when one dares to rear its yellow head. </p>
<p>Perhaps I’m strange for rejoicing at the sight of a street, lawn or field blooming with dandelion heads. But as these flowers make fantastic food for a wide range of endangered bees, I’d like to convince you to love these flowers as I do, and to care for them as you would any other wildflower in a meadow.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A roadside verge filled with flowering dandelions." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522971/original/file-20230426-20-ch94a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522971/original/file-20230426-20-ch94a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522971/original/file-20230426-20-ch94a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522971/original/file-20230426-20-ch94a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522971/original/file-20230426-20-ch94a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522971/original/file-20230426-20-ch94a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522971/original/file-20230426-20-ch94a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The dandelion (<em>Taraxacum officiale</em>) can grow almost anywhere.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Philip Donkersley</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Flowers in the city</h2>
<p>The last 50 years have seen urban areas and farms expand across the UK. What few places were set aside to provide for wildlife have been eroded. We have pushed nature to the brink, but nature adapts, changes and overcomes these obstacles. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513999/original/file-20230307-18-3frmra.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Many people think of plants as nice-looking greens. Essential for clean air, yes, but simple organisms. A step change in research is shaking up the way scientists think about plants: they are far more complex and more like us than you might imagine. This blossoming field of science is too delightful to do it justice in one or two stories.</em> </p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/plant-curious-137238?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=PlantCurious2023&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of a series, Plant Curious</a>, exploring scientific studies that challenge the way you view plantlife.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Studies of bee feeding patterns in cities, where much of their original food sources have been covered with concrete and tarmac, show a shift in their <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-017-3968-3">wild, diverse diet</a> to one dominated by <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-014-9694-9/">dandelions, clover</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.9490">brambles</a>.</p>
<p>Dandelions are an abundant source of nectar and pollen for bees flying around an environment in which the diversity of food options continues to shrink. These plants grow in very little soil, flower from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169534707001541">early spring to just before winter</a> and offer sustenance for bees all year round.</p>
<p>What makes dandelions so successful in feeding a wide variety of pollinators is the shape of their flowers.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522982/original/file-20230426-20-20upgr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A small bee nestled in the middle of a dandelion flower." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522982/original/file-20230426-20-20upgr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522982/original/file-20230426-20-20upgr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522982/original/file-20230426-20-20upgr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522982/original/file-20230426-20-20upgr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522982/original/file-20230426-20-20upgr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=667&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522982/original/file-20230426-20-20upgr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=667&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522982/original/file-20230426-20-20upgr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=667&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The common carder bee (<em>Bombus pascorum</em>).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Philip Donkersley</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The evolution of bees is a dance between the changing shapes of flowers and the corresponding length of bee tongues. Complicated flowers, like <a href="https://www.kew.org/plants/vanilla">vanilla</a>, evolved to make sure only a certain bee species could pollinate them, whereas others have evolved simple, open flowers that anyone can get pollen and nectar from.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522981/original/file-20230426-186-sob7tw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A bumblebee perched on a dandelion flower." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522981/original/file-20230426-186-sob7tw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522981/original/file-20230426-186-sob7tw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522981/original/file-20230426-186-sob7tw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522981/original/file-20230426-186-sob7tw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522981/original/file-20230426-186-sob7tw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522981/original/file-20230426-186-sob7tw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522981/original/file-20230426-186-sob7tw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A buff tailed bumblebee (<em>Bombus terrestris</em>).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Philip Donkersley</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Dandelions fall into this second camp. Take a look at a patch of dandelion flowers and you’ll be amazed at the diversity of visitors. Over just 10 minutes in my garden I spotted at least 10 different bee and fly species: the ever abundant <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bees-and-wasps/buff-tailed-bumblebee">buff-tailed bumblebee</a>, as well as the common <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bees-and-wasps/common-carder-bee">carder bee</a> and a <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bees-and-wasps/honey-bee">honeybee</a> from one of my own hives working hard to collect pollen for the colony.</p>
<p>Among the many threats to pollinators (pesticides, the destruction of nest habitat, invasive species), <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/7/3/119">lack of food</a> is one of the most important. Highly abundant dandelions can go a long way to bridging this gap – at least in terms of <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/5/304">nectar</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A close-up image of a honeybee bestriding a dandelion flower." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522984/original/file-20230426-20-sag6mc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522984/original/file-20230426-20-sag6mc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522984/original/file-20230426-20-sag6mc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522984/original/file-20230426-20-sag6mc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522984/original/file-20230426-20-sag6mc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522984/original/file-20230426-20-sag6mc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522984/original/file-20230426-20-sag6mc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A honeybee (<em>Apis mellifera</em>) feeding on a dandelion, its leg baskets full of pollen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Philip Donkersley</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some scientists have argued that dandelion pollen is not the best for bees. Research suggests that it may contain high levels of the essential amino acid <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.728576/full">proline</a> (which bees can only get from food and cannot make themselves), but lack several others, like <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jee/article-abstract/80/1/14/757976">isoleucine and valine</a>. A diet lacking in these elements can <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002220111200167X">hamper</a> a bee’s ability to grow, resist disease and raise its young. </p>
<p>But in a world where bees are stressed by a lack of any food at all, I would argue that any source that can proliferate under the toughest conditions like dandelions is a worthwhile thing to preserve.</p>
<h2>Dandelion dawn</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/">No Mow May</a> approaches: a campaign sponsored by the charity <a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/">Plantlife</a> to let weeds grow in gardens. Sadly, at the end of May, all that lovely wildflower habitat could be cut down and sprayed with herbicides.</p>
<p>Manicured lawns are essentially green deserts: ostensibly full of plants but with nothing to nourish bees or other wildlife.</p>
<p>Not everyone wants a lawn full of wildflowers. So I would recommend, rather than setting aside the whole garden for nature a month, trying to set aside a patch forever. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A row of poppies and other wildflowers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523210/original/file-20230427-16-tdsmla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523210/original/file-20230427-16-tdsmla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=244&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523210/original/file-20230427-16-tdsmla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=244&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523210/original/file-20230427-16-tdsmla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=244&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523210/original/file-20230427-16-tdsmla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523210/original/file-20230427-16-tdsmla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523210/original/file-20230427-16-tdsmla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Even a strip of wildflowers will benefit bugs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-wildflowers-on-lovely-sunny-day-1441015007">Liz Miller/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Dandelions are amazing plants that can survive anywhere, as long as we allow them. They are a lifeline for pollinators on the brink and need protecting as part of our environment in car parks, roads and lawns. The next time you see a dandelion, try to see it as a bee would.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204504/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Philip Donkersley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Before you reach for the weed killer, spare a thought for struggling pollinators.
Philip Donkersley, Senior Research Associate in Entomology, Lancaster University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/200975
2023-03-14T12:24:27Z
2023-03-14T12:24:27Z
Climate change threatens spring wildflowers by speeding up the time when trees leaf out above them
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514776/original/file-20230311-17-7x9lo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C0%2C3970%2C2952&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Native wildflowers, such as these Dutchman’s breeches (_Dicentra cucullaria_) that bloom early in spring are losing access to sunlight as trees leaf out earlier.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flic.kr/p/26pTuFq">Katja Schulz/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For <a href="https://nativeplantherald.prairienursery.com/2020/04/spring-ephemerals-in-the-woodland/">short-lived spring wildflowers</a> such as <a href="https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=anqu">wood anemone (<em>Anemone quinquefolia</em>)</a> and <a href="https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=dicu">Dutchman’s breeches (<em>Dicentra cucullaria</em>)</a>, timing is everything. These fleeting plants, known as ephemerals, grow in temperate forests around the world, leafing out and flowering early in spring before the trees towering above them leaf out. Emerge too early, and it will still be winter; emerge too late, and it will be too shady under the forest canopy for essential photosynthesis to happen. </p>
<p>Over their evolutionary history, these plants have figured out the best timing for their survival. But climate change is altering spring growing conditions, and plant life is changing along with it. </p>
<p>There are many examples of plants shifting flowering time in response to warming temperatures, such as <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6bb4">cherry blossoms opening earlier and earlier</a> each year. However, when one part of an ecosystem shifts, will all the organisms that depend on it successfully shift too? Or will they be out of luck? And what if interconnected species respond to change at different rates, leading to disruptions in long-standing ecological relationships?</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vg0dAcZo3Fw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Participants in the federally funded USA National Phenology Network collect, store and share data on the timing of life cycle events in plants and animals and how climate change is altering those cycles.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Researchers have been asking these types of questions about phenology – the timing of biological events – <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo8829988.html">related to climate change</a> for years. But most studies have focused on plant-animal interactions, like pollinators coming out at the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20190139">wrong time for flowers</a>. Far fewer have analyzed plant-plant interactions, such as spring ephemerals that need time to grow before trees leaf out above them and block the sunlight.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rprimacklab.com/">Our research group</a> has investigated the mismatch between understory wildflowers and canopy trees around Concord, Massachusetts, using historical observations recorded by Henry David Thoreau, the author of “<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/205/205-h/205-h.htm">Walden,” his classic account of life in the woods</a>. We found that trees in Concord were more sensitive to spring temperatures than wildflowers were, and that this resulted in earlier tree leaf-out that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13224">reduced available light in the understory</a>. </p>
<p>This finding was an important first step, but we wanted to know whether these patterns persisted in other temperate forests in North America and across the Northern Hemisphere. Our 2023 study shows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14021">the answer is yes</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514778/original/file-20230311-16-lzomuu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A plant with small purple flowers on the forest floor." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514778/original/file-20230311-16-lzomuu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514778/original/file-20230311-16-lzomuu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514778/original/file-20230311-16-lzomuu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514778/original/file-20230311-16-lzomuu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514778/original/file-20230311-16-lzomuu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514778/original/file-20230311-16-lzomuu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514778/original/file-20230311-16-lzomuu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Round-lobed hepatica (<em>Hepatica americana</em>) is an early-blooming wildflower with blue, white or pink flowers, most often found in shaded woodlands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hepatica-americana/">Frtiz Flohr Reynolds/NC State Extension</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>North American mismatches</h2>
<p>For this research we used specimens from herbariums – collections of plants that have been pressed, dried and cataloged. The plants we examined were collected across eastern North America over the past 100 years. We evaluated over 3,000 pressed plant specimens to chart leafing-out time for trees and flowering time for spring wildflowers. </p>
<p>The vast scale of this study was made possible because herbaria have digitized millions of photographs of plant specimens and <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany/news-and-highlights/digitized">made them available online</a> over the past decade. Before this resource existed, researchers had to travel to many museums scattered around the country. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5BXcB63N5Rk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England, is one of the world’s largest and supports genetic research on plants from around the globe.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Historical weather records are <a href="https://prism.oregonstate.edu">also available online now</a>. This allows researchers to determine spring temperatures for the year and place where each specimen was collected.</p>
<p>Our study enabled us to confirm the results of our work in Concord. We found that as temperatures warm, deciduous trees across eastern north America are advancing their leaf-out timing faster than native wildflowers are responding.</p>
<p>For example, during cooler springs with 24-hour average March and April temperatures of 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), trees leafed out 13 days after native wildflowers. This gave the flowers almost two weeks of full sun on the forest floor. However, during warmer springs, with average temperatures of 58 F (15 C), trees leafed out only 10 days after native wildflowers. This gave the wildflowers about 25% less full sunlight time during which to photosynthesize. </p>
<p>As spring temperatures warm even further with climate change, we expect wildflowers will have even shorter periods of full sunlight. This can mean a sizable decrease in the flowers’ energy supply and ability to survive, grow and reproduce.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514779/original/file-20230311-3323-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A pink three-lobed wildflower." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514779/original/file-20230311-3323-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514779/original/file-20230311-3323-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514779/original/file-20230311-3323-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514779/original/file-20230311-3323-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514779/original/file-20230311-3323-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514779/original/file-20230311-3323-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514779/original/file-20230311-3323-eiamcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trilliums, like this <em>Trillium grandiflorum</em>, bloom from February through June across North America depending on their location.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium_grandiflorum#/media/File:Trillium_grandiflorum_pink1.jpg">Eric Hill/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We also observed that trees and wildflowers in the warmer southern part of their ranges advanced their leaf-out and flowering times faster, respectively, than those in colder northern locations. In these zones, we found greater timing differences between trees and wildflowers. This means the potential for phenological mismatch, where native wildflowers are more likely to be shaded out by trees, is greater in the southeast U.S. than in areas farther north.</p>
<h2>Parallels and differences on other continents</h2>
<p>For a 2022 study, we collaborated with colleagues from China and Germany to evaluate over 5,000 tree and wildflower specimens collected over the past 120 years. We wanted to see to whether the phenological mismatches that we documented in North America could also be found in temperate forests of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34936-9">East Asia and central Europe</a>. </p>
<p>Our team found a common pattern across all three continents. Trees and wildflowers are active earlier now than in the past, and they are active earlier in warm years and places. </p>
<p>However, in a surprising twist, we didn’t see the North American pattern of trees being more sensitive than wildflowers on the other two continents. In Europe, wildflowers and canopy trees seemed to be shifting together over time. In Asia, the understory wildflowers were shifting more than the trees — meaning they might get more light, not less, in a warmer future.</p>
<p>The differences we found among the three regions were due primarily to variation in the sensitivities of the trees to temperature. Trees in eastern North America responded more strongly to temperature shifts, while Asian trees responded less strongly.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1633812385709408256"}"></div></p>
<p>These results suggest that eastern North American trees have become especially sensitive to temperature as a way of adapting to this region’s <a href="https://earthathome.org/hoe/ne/climate/#">highly variable climate</a>. In contrast, trees in East Asia are apparently more sensitive to other environmental cues, such as day length, when it comes to the timing of spring growth.</p>
<h2>Informing forest management</h2>
<p>Our results pose questions for further research. If spring temperatures aren’t the primary cues determining leaf-out and flowering times of trees and wildflowers in East Asia, what are those cues? How does the declining spring light window for wildflowers in eastern North America affect their energy budgets and ability to survive, grow and flower?</p>
<p>Another question is whether there are any practical management techniques, such as thinning overstory trees or removing invasive plants, that can help wildflowers deal with the ongoing challenges of climate change. Such strategies could help people appreciate and conserve the full range of plants in the forests we depend on and cherish around the world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200975/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard B. Primack receives funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin R. Lee receives funding from the National Science Foundation and Morton Arboretum</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tara K. Miller received funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>
Many beloved wildflowers bloom in early spring, while trees are still bare and the flowers have access to sunlight. Climate change is throwing trees and wildflowers out of sync.
Richard B. Primack, Professor of Biology, Boston University
Benjamin R. Lee, Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology, University of Pittsburgh
Tara K. Miller, Policy Research Specialist, Repair Lab, University of Virginia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/198632
2023-02-03T16:01:00Z
2023-02-03T16:01:00Z
Environment plan for England asks farmers to restore nature – but changes are likely to be superficial
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508085/original/file-20230203-24-rwr5kn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5008%2C3313&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/ketrels-yorkshire-england-uk-2185494997">Julie Yates/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK government’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-improvement-plan">environment improvement plan</a> pledges to restore 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of wildlife-rich habitat, create or expand 25 national parks, invest in the recovery of hedgehogs and red squirrels, tackle <a href="https://theconversation.com/sewage-pollution-our-research-reveals-the-scale-of-englands-growing-problem-170763">rising sewage pollution</a> and improve <a href="https://theconversation.com/plan-will-put-everyone-in-england-within-15-minutes-of-green-space-but-what-matters-is-justice-not-distance-198938">access to green spaces</a> in England over the next five years. </p>
<p>Since <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agricultural-land-use-in-england/agricultural-land-use-in-england-at-1-june-2022">69%</a> of land in England is farmed, much of the plan’s success in improving nature will hinge on its reform of the country’s agricultural sector. Farming is implicated in the extinction risk of <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/our-global-food-system-primary-driver-biodiversity-loss">86%</a> of threatened species globally, and accounts for roughly <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00225-9">one-third</a> of all greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, not to mention soil erosion and river pollution.</p>
<p>The government has described the plan as an “<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ambitious-roadmap-for-a-cleaner-greener-country">ambitious road map</a>” to a cleaner, greener country. Some of the targets certainly are ambitious. For example, the plan aims to bring 40% of farmland soils into sustainable management by 2028. </p>
<p>This would be a monumental shift in how soil is cared for in England. Intensive agriculture has slashed the amount of carbon soils store by 60% and put 6 million hectares across England and Wales at risk of erosion or compaction, costing an estimated <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921800915003171">£1.2 billion a year</a>.</p>
<p>But the plan doesn’t actually explain how sustainable management will be expanded. The only action proposed is to create a “baseline map” of soil health in England by 2028. </p>
<p>The plan also aims for 65%-80% of landowners and farmers to adopt nature-friendly farming by 2030. “Nature-friendly farming” is not defined, nor is it based on any <a href="http://www.ipes-food.org/pages/smokeandmirrors">internationally recognised principles</a>, making it impossible to assess the government’s progress. </p>
<p>The plan only aims for this to be adopted on 10%-15% of farmers’ land too, which would amount to a mere 6%–12% of England’s farmland overall. <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780429028557/nature-matrix-ivette-perfecto-john-vandermeer-angus-wright">Research</a> shows that protecting small pockets of land won’t benefit biodiversity if the majority of farming in the surrounding landscape is ecologically destructive.</p>
<h2>All carrots, no sticks</h2>
<p>The main instrument the government has chosen to shake up agriculture is the <a href="https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2023/01/26/environmental-land-management-schemes-details-of-actions-and-payments/">Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI)</a> scheme. SFIs are payments to farmers based on actions which benefit the environment. For example, a farmer could receive up to £40 a hectare for their efforts to improve soils on arable fields. </p>
<p>An integrated strategy for converting farmland to more sustainable management would mean increasing the diversity of crops grown, helping healthy soils regenerate and eliminating pesticides, all at the same time. Instead, SFI payments reward farmers for making standalone changes. </p>
<p>This might mean <a href="https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/provide-supplementary-winter-food-for-birds/">putting out seeds</a> for birds in winter or leaving a grassy strip on an unused section of land to provide <a href="https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/create-and-maintain-beetle-banks/">habitat for insects</a>, though it could also mean significantly cutting down on pesticides. This system offers flexibility for landowners, but research shows that farmers are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-9523.2008.00452.x?casa_token=kzS1Kc7-i8oAAAAA%3ApqnahDOPAXUZSzx6nsg_zWpnMR4dIMS76ir3ZOeLY76-jYZyahEDT3TUrOIoOWWo8DrTeJBF1iInpA">more likely to choose</a> environmental improvements which don’t require significant changes to how they farm.</p>
<p>This is the fatal flaw in the government’s flagship farming reform. Farmers can continue doing things which harm soils and wildlife on the (majority) productive parts of their land while receiving benefits for sprinkling pro-environment measures around the edges. </p>
<p>Wildflower margins which are planted around pesticide-soaked crops under the pretence of supporting pollinators offer a common example. Not only is the continued use of pesticide on the crop harmful in itself, the wildflowers actually accumulate the chemical residue, sometimes in higher concentrations than in the crops themselves. This renders the wildflower pollen <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.5b03459">harmful</a>, rather than beneficial, to bees, butterflies and other bugs. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An arable field with a margin full of wildflowers to the right." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508088/original/file-20230203-22-uo8ca2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508088/original/file-20230203-22-uo8ca2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508088/original/file-20230203-22-uo8ca2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508088/original/file-20230203-22-uo8ca2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508088/original/file-20230203-22-uo8ca2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508088/original/file-20230203-22-uo8ca2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508088/original/file-20230203-22-uo8ca2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Adding wildflower strips to field margins won’t undo the damage of intensive farming.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/wild-flowers-cow-parsley-growing-arable-2196165655">Paul Maguire/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The environment improvement plan heavily relies on voluntary participation in lieu of regulation, not only through SFIs but quality assurance schemes such as Red Tractor. For example, fertilisers and slurries (semi-liquid manures) emit ammonia, a greenhouse gas which is bad for human health. Rather than regulate this, the plan favours an “industry led” approach with Red Tractor certifications. </p>
<p>Red Tractor is yet another voluntary scheme, and has been criticised as ineffectual for encouraging improvements to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/15/red-tractor-failing-to-regulate-pesticide-use-for-uk-supermarket-products#:%7E:text=The%20Red%20Tractor%20scheme%2C%20used,upon%20to%20uphold%20environmental%20standards.">environment</a> and <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chicken-farming-red-tractor-inspectors-failed-to-revisit-farm-after-deaths-c7hrdqh5g">animal welfare</a> on farms. The plan has only suggested that it will consider regulating dairy and intensive beef farms in the same way that it regulates intensive poultry and pig farms.</p>
<p>Even if regulations were to be expanded, environmental regulators visit farms so rarely and superficially that it might not make a difference. On average, it is estimated that English farms can expect an environmental inspection <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/27/liz-truss-allowed-farmers-to-pollute-englands-rivers-after-slashing-red-tape-say-campaigners">once every 263 years</a>. Despite being regulated, intensive poultry and pig operations are a major cause of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/05/river-pollution-leads-to-welsh-demand-for-halt-to-intensive-poultry-units">river pollution</a>. </p>
<h2>Beyond England’s borders</h2>
<p>In post-Brexit policy discussions, some landowners and consumers worried that payments for environmental improvements would outweigh income from food production, meaning less homegrown fare. Government discourse has since emphasised that farmers will receive support to deliver on environmental outcomes “<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/therese-coffey-farmers-central-to-food-production-and-environmental-action">alongside</a>” food production. Nothing in the plan ensures this. </p>
<p>Other countries have a food policy which guides farmers to grow produce necessary for healthy diets and determines how much should be imported or exported. Responsibility for food in England is divided between <a href="https://foodresearch.org.uk/publications/who-makes-food-policy-in-england-map-government-actors/">16 different departments</a>, with no overarching framework or body.</p>
<p>SFIs and the new plan do very little to stem the environmental consequences of food produced beyond England’s borders. The aggregate ammonia emissions from crops and livestock imported into England are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25854-3">significantly higher</a> than those stemming from domestic production. </p>
<p>And despite its favourable growing conditions, the majority of fruit and vegetables eaten in England are imported, contributing to water scarcity and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00254-007-0853-0">pollution</a> in other countries. Preserving the environment at home while polluting and degrading environments abroad is nonsensical, as all ecosystems are interconnected. But it is also shameful to shift the environmental burden of English diets onto other people. </p>
<p>If the government and citizens are serious about improving the environment, then policies must require that ecological principles are integrated into food production. At present, voluntary measures and weak regulation are all that is offered.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198632/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elise Wach receives research funding from foundations, research councils and charitable organisations. The author declares no conflict of interest related to this article.</span></em></p>
Tinkering around the margins of English farms won’t benefit biodiversity, research suggests.
Elise Wach, Research Advisor, Institute of Development Studies
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/187091
2022-09-25T20:03:39Z
2022-09-25T20:03:39Z
‘Painful, confronting and totally riveting’: Peggy Frew’s novel of dysfunctional sisters is ultimately uplifting
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485498/original/file-20220920-16-p69f14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3932%2C2400&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pawel Szmanski/Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In her hybrid critical memoir, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7603.Reading_Lolita_in_Tehran">Reading Lolita in Tehran</a>, Azar Nafisi poses a knotty question regarding the spell of problematic books such as Vladimir Nabokov’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/cover-girl-the-difficulty-of-illustrating-lolita-persists-60-years-on-44305">Lolita</a>. </p>
<p>A novel of shockingly egregious thoughts and actions, in which a 12-year-old girl is sexually abused and exploited in other ways, Lolita nevertheless offered a compelling text for Nafisi and her female students, all victims of the oppressive <a href="https://theconversation.com/kylie-moore-gilberts-804-days-in-an-iranian-prison-were-a-travesty-but-the-west-is-in-no-position-to-lecture-179089">Iranian regime</a> in the 1980s. </p>
<p>Nafisi had resigned from her university teaching position, and she and her students were continuing informal literary studies in secret in her apartment. “Are you bewildered?” she asks us. “Why Lolita? Why Lolita in Tehran?”</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Review: Wildflowers – Peggy Frew (Allen & Unwin)</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Despite its subject matter, Lolita continued not just to fascinate the class, but to provide solace and more. Why, asked one of Nafisi’s students, are readers filled with joy upon reading such novels? Does that mean there is something wrong with the novels, or with the readers themselves? </p>
<p>After some thought, Nafisi formulates an answer that satisfies both her and her students. First she reminds us every great novel is a form of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-early-australian-fairy-tales-displaced-aboriginal-people-with-mythical-creatures-and-fantasies-of-empty-land-185592">fairy tale</a>, and while fairy tales typically portray violence against children, they are also full of good, powerful magic – plus, they offer freedoms denied by reality, and an affirmation of life that counters real life’s transience. </p>
<p>When the author takes control of reality by retelling it, a new world is created. Thus “every great work of art […] is a celebration against the betrayals, horrors and infidelities of life”.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J8JxUMqcH1s?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Azar Nafisi on Reading Lolita in Tehran.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/trauma-resilience-sex-and-art-your-guide-to-the-2020-miles-franklin-shortlist-140937">Trauma, resilience, sex and art: your guide to the 2020 Miles Franklin shortlist</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Three sisters, estranged</h2>
<p>This could be a stretch, and certainly defenders of novels like Lolita, post #MeToo, have their work cut out for them. But it worked for Nafisi and her students, as it has for me over the years – and Peggy Frew’s fourth novel, <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Peggy-Frew-Wildflowers-9781761066924">Wildflowers</a>, reminded me of these comments once more. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485481/original/file-20220920-16-zi5w9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="book cover, Wildflowers: three women lying in golden sunlight" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485481/original/file-20220920-16-zi5w9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485481/original/file-20220920-16-zi5w9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=918&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485481/original/file-20220920-16-zi5w9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=918&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485481/original/file-20220920-16-zi5w9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=918&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485481/original/file-20220920-16-zi5w9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1153&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485481/original/file-20220920-16-zi5w9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1153&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485481/original/file-20220920-16-zi5w9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1153&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>The novel concerns three adult sisters, Meg, Nina and Amber. Once close, now estranged, they’re all set on differing paths – yet also united by the addiction of Amber, the youngest, and by her neediness, her vulnerability, her mistakes and the prospect of her salvation. That’s the initial premise, but it soon becomes apparent that vulnerability and need manifest in many ways, and by the end it is clear all three are victims, trying for different reasons to make good their failures and weaknesses. </p>
<p>The novel, however, is Nina’s. The opening section offers an intriguing depiction of someone gripped by dysfunction. In her late thirties, Nina lives alone and is refusing to take phone calls, to read messages or other mail, and to have contact with almost everyone. </p>
<p>She has ended all her affairs with men (of which more will be revealed). And she’s divesting herself of her belongings, limiting what she eats, and – strangest of all – wearing uncomfortable underwear, as well as shabby outerwear picked up from the streets, as a form of punishment. Meanwhile, she attends her menial job, which involves little interaction with anyone, and spends her spare time lying on the couch watching the vacant block opposite, where among dumped objects, wildflowers appear.</p>
<p>Or they may be weeds: Nina’s perspective is decidedly unstable. This scenario is precise, vivid and compelling. By the end of the first section, some 30 pages, more detail has been added. When Nina is finally pinned down by Meg, who is trying clumsily to repair a “mistake” made five years ago in relation to Amber, the many questions raised continue to compel us – but the next section then flips back in time. These questions are not going to be answered quickly or easily. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/touching-ferocious-and-poetic-the-miles-franklin-shortlist-is-worthy-of-your-attention-64428">Touching, ferocious and poetic, the Miles Franklin shortlist is worthy of your attention</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Lies, secrets and rescue gone wrong</h2>
<p>One of the many impressive things about this novel is Frew’s great control of structure. While it is always Nina’s book, it is not always her story, and the experiences of Meg and Amber are cleverly nested within her point of view. They are given enough oxygen to prevent any suggestion of suffocating within Nina’s sometimes limited view of things, such as her view of the past.</p>
<p>It turns out this past contains a trauma that may be key to Amber’s behaviour and all that has followed — the well-meant yet ineffective coddling of her, as well as the family’s blindness to the true extent of her suffering and addiction. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485491/original/file-20220920-16-ermdgr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a woman with curly blonde hair, holding a coffee cup and wearing a cardigan" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485491/original/file-20220920-16-ermdgr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485491/original/file-20220920-16-ermdgr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485491/original/file-20220920-16-ermdgr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485491/original/file-20220920-16-ermdgr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485491/original/file-20220920-16-ermdgr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485491/original/file-20220920-16-ermdgr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485491/original/file-20220920-16-ermdgr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Peggy Frew is always in control of her novel.</span>
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<p>Amber has been the golden child, the performer, the charmer, who seemed to have her future laid out in glittering success, while the lives of Meg — dependable and unimaginative — and Nina — cautious and cynical — have been bathed in shadow rather than sunlight. Nevertheless, their love for the vivacious Amber endures. As adults, they are prepared to take on the task of rescuing her. </p>
<p>The nature of this rescue — initiated by Meg, who determines that with their father dead and their mother incapable, enough is enough — turns upon lies and secrets. She and Nina trick their sister into going away on a holiday to north Queensland, where they intend to dry her out. Obviously things will not go to plan, and the subsequent conflict, suffering and sheer abjection presented makes this section of the novel horrifying and compelling. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/does-a-siblings-gender-influence-our-own-personality-a-major-new-study-answers-an-age-old-question-188532">Does a sibling’s gender influence our own personality? A major new study answers an age-old question</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Atonement</h2>
<p>As the fuller story of this family is revealed, so are the more recent details of Nina’s own failures and humiliations – in particular, her inability to form stable, loving relationships. Finally, those questions raised in the opening section are answered. Just as Amber is stripped down to be “cured”, so Nina needs to literally reduce her life as a way of finding the kernel of who she might be, as well as to atone for her complicity in that cure.</p>
<p>Frew’s dissection of family dynamics, with all its misunderstandings and failures, and her sense of the precarious line between loving care and harmful neglect, impart a threat of tragedy throughout the novel, which maintains our attention. Wildflowers is a painful, confronting and totally riveting novel, but Frew’s control of the story – evident on every page – promises not to engulf the reader in the sorrow it must expose.</p>
<p>The explanation that Nafisi offers as to why we cherish stories of abuse and misery concludes: “The perfection and beauty of form rebels against the ugliness and shabbiness of the subject matter.” </p>
<p>Frew’s great skill at the structural and other formal requirements of the novel, and her firm hold of the fictional reality she has created, are counterweights to the distressing subject matter. This makes reading Wildflowers an ultimately uplifting, rather than depressing, experience.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187091/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Debra Adelaide does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Peggy Frew’s masterful control of Wildflowers, her fourth novel – about three sisters, once close, now estranged – promises not to engulf readers in the sorrow it must expose. Debra Adelaide reviews.
Debra Adelaide, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/184423
2022-08-16T12:29:28Z
2022-08-16T12:29:28Z
From watering via ice cubes to spritzing with hydrogen peroxide – 4 misguided plant health trends on social media
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470313/original/file-20220622-25-3avjqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C11%2C7377%2C4885&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The internet has become a new player in plant care advice.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/two-female-friends-watching-online-gardening-royalty-free-image/1295397619">Kanawa_Studio/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The internet is full of advice on just about everything, including plant care.</p>
<p>As the <a href="https://plant.lab.uconn.edu/">director of a plant diagnostic laboratory</a> and expert on plant medicine, I help people manage their plants’ health. Here are four trends I’ve seen online recently that have stood out as being especially misleading or potentially damaging to plants. </p>
<h2>Watering orchids and other plants with ice cubes</h2>
<p>Multiple sites claim ice cubes can be used to give orchids a “just right” amount of water. The fact is tropical plants hate cold temperatures. Leaving <a href="http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/FactSheets/house-plants---growing-.php">ice near an orchid’s roots may damage them</a>.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_AA2Kt72DQg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Orchids on ice?</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nearly all houseplants, including orchids, will prefer lukewarm or room temperature water, about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). Use fact sheets from educational institutions and reputable organizations to determine the correct amount of water and watering schedule for the types of plants you’re growing, and then set a reminder on your phone. </p>
<p>Use a potting medium that drains well and quickly. For orchids, <a href="https://www.aos.org/orchids/orchid-care/what-is-the-best-potting-media.aspx">a mix of bark chips and sphagnum moss is much better</a> than 100% soil or coco coir. </p>
<h2>‘No Mow May’</h2>
<p>Many campaigns have sprung up recently promoting “<a href="https://beecityusa.org/no-mow-may/">No Mow May</a>.” The idea is to delay regular mowing for the month of May to provide more feeding sites for pollinators, which are trying to shore up calories after their winter hibernation.</p>
<iframe src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7093152050682514734" height="800" width="100%">
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<p>Unfortunately, this practice usually does not benefit pollinators and could damage your lawn’s health. Here’s why:</p>
<p>Mowing more than 30% of a grass leaf at once is never a good idea. Grasses depend on their blades to photosynthesize and meet their energy needs. When more than 30% is lost at once, the plants may not have enough remaining leaf surface area to photosynthesize properly.</p>
<p>Overgrown lawns have overgrown root systems, which require more energy. Failure to provide it leads to <a href="https://hgic.clemson.edu/mowing-height-matters/">increased susceptibility to disease</a>, poor water management and potential collapse. Such damage is pretty much unavoidable after a monthlong “no mow” period. </p>
<p>Few lawns actually contain enough flowers to be beneficial to pollinators, anyway. For many people, the “perfect lawn” is an unwavering green carpet. But that uniformity is useless to bees and other pollinators that require <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/what-you-can-do-protect-honey-bees-and-other-pollinators">pollen and nectar that other plants can provide</a>. </p>
<p>It’s great to <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/what-you-can-do-protect-honey-bees-and-other-pollinators">prioritize pollinator health</a>, but the “no mow” trend is best implemented in prairie, field and wetland environments, where there is a lot of plant diversity and flowering plants. </p>
<p>If you’re looking to support pollinator health in your own yard, <a href="https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder">plant native wildflowers</a> that pollinators will actually want to visit. Most require less water and management compared to grass lawns. Replace your entire lawn or even a small strip. Any amount of lawn replaced is beneficial – and will save you water and money. </p>
<p>Make sure not to mow the wildflowers until they’ve finished flowering. A wildflower patch usually only needs to be cut once or twice a year. Mowing after the last frost in early spring will spread the previous year’s seeds and <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/planting-pollinator-friendly-gardens">provide a home for insects to spend the winter</a>. </p>
<h2>Using hydrogen peroxide to ‘cure’ plant diseases</h2>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"917613551988097024"}"></div></p>
<p>Hydrogen peroxide <a href="https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Hydrogen-peroxide">does sterilize surfaces and can reduce bacteria and some fungi</a>. But the rapid reaction that gives hydrogen peroxide its sterilizing properties occurs almost immediately after coming in contact with other compounds. This does not permit hydrogen peroxide to move throughout a plant.</p>
<p>So most pathogens – the organisms that cause disease – will not be affected if they are in a plant’s tissues rather than on its exterior. Applying hydrogen peroxide excessively or improperly may even <a href="https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Hydrogen-peroxide">make plant health issues worse</a> by drying surfaces and killing beneficial microbes. </p>
<p>While there is certainly a time and place for sterilizing surfaces in plant care – like with your pruners and propagation tools – the best defense against plant diseases is proper care. </p>
<p>Water your plants only when necessary and provide proper light and nutrition. Research what your plant likes best from educational institutions or other reputable sources. Routine pruning to increase airflow, proper plant spacing, avoiding single-crop planting and crop rotation are just some examples of chemical-free techniques to <a href="https://ipm.cahnr.uconn.edu/">reduce plant stress and decrease disease susceptibility</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470069/original/file-20220621-15-io6uku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman holds up her cell phone to photograph the roots of a plant." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470069/original/file-20220621-15-io6uku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470069/original/file-20220621-15-io6uku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470069/original/file-20220621-15-io6uku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470069/original/file-20220621-15-io6uku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470069/original/file-20220621-15-io6uku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470069/original/file-20220621-15-io6uku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470069/original/file-20220621-15-io6uku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Virtual diagnosis?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/woman-holding-and-taking-photo-of-potato-crop-royalty-free-image/1322163523">Sanja Radin/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Diagnosing diseases using phone apps</h2>
<p>Many apps exist that use photographs submitted by the user to identify plant diseases and offer solutions. </p>
<p>The truth is, to diagnose most plant diseases, a scientist needs to culture plant tissue to correctly identify pathogens. Only after an accurate diagnosis <a href="https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/journal/pdis">can they recommend management solutions</a>. I have a pretty strong opinion here, since disease identification is what I do every day. Plant symptoms that accompany one disease may be practically identical to those of another. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472617/original/file-20220705-4524-eyxbyp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Photos of four different plants with curled leaves labeled herbicide exposure, virus, insect feeding and fungal infection." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472617/original/file-20220705-4524-eyxbyp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472617/original/file-20220705-4524-eyxbyp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472617/original/file-20220705-4524-eyxbyp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472617/original/file-20220705-4524-eyxbyp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472617/original/file-20220705-4524-eyxbyp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472617/original/file-20220705-4524-eyxbyp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472617/original/file-20220705-4524-eyxbyp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The same symptom can be caused by very different problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bugwood.org</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, herbicide exposure, viruses, insect feeding and fungal infections can all cause twisted and deformed leaves. To properly diagnose an issue, the plant’s own history, location, site history, time of year and other factors need to be considered before I can take a guess as to what may be contributing to symptoms. </p>
<p>Don’t rely on an app to guess at what disease your plant may have – and don’t act on bogus recommendations. Instead, reach out to your local university diagnostic lab or extension office for support. </p>
<p>Not sure where to go? Start with the <a href="https://www.npdn.org/lab_directory">National Plant Diagnostic Network’s lab directory</a>. Many, including mine, offer free consultations and recommendations. If you end up submitting a sample to a diagnostic lab, most are affordable – my lab’s fee is US$20 – and will be worthwhile, especially when you consider the cost of replacing the plant with something that could eventually have the same issue.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184423/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Goltz (UConn Plant Diagnostic Laboratory) receives funding from the USDA-NIFA and the state of Connecticut. </span></em></p>
Plant care advice abounds on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube – but not all of it is good. A plant expert debunks four common recommendations.
Nick Goltz, Assistant Extension Educator and Director, UConn Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, University of Connecticut
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/183692
2022-05-31T14:31:13Z
2022-05-31T14:31:13Z
How to make your lawn wildlife friendly all year round – tips from an ecologist
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466022/original/file-20220530-20-s2bxse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4998%2C3401&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-common-blue-butterfly-polyommatus-icarus-1984636076">Sandra Standbridge/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Alongside the worrying current fad <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/04/growth-in-artificial-lawns-poses-threat-to-british-wildlife-conservationists-warn">for plastic grass</a>, a growing number of people are choosing to let their <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/02/25/emerging-pattern-rewilding-gardens-set-boost-butterfly-numbers/">lawns grow wild</a> in order to encourage a more diverse range of plants and insects to live in them. </p>
<p>You may not be convinced of the beauty of a wild and unruly garden, but there is a sweet spot to be found between a rewilded jungle and a sterile green desert which not only looks good but provides a <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-steps-to-make-your-lawn-a-wildlife-haven-from-green-desert-to-miniature-rainforest-117482">haven for wildlife</a>. This is especially important in the UK, where 97% of semi-natural grassland has been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0006320787901212">destroyed over the last 80 years</a>. </p>
<p>I’m an ecologist specialised in the study of this kind of habitat, and I want to help you get the most out of it. One simple compromise you can make is to put off when you first get the lawn mower out each year. A campaign by conservation charity <a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/wales">Plantlife</a> called <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nomowmay">#NoMowMay</a> asks people with lawns to hold off the first cut until June, which allows grasses and herbs time to flower and set seed.</p>
<p>But if you want to maintain a wildlife-friendly lawn throughout the year, without letting your garden become completely overgrown, here’s some advice for what else you can do.</p>
<p>To find a happy medium, some mowing may be necessary. This halts the ecological processes which would otherwise transform a grass lawn into a woodland over time. By varying the height at which you mow different areas of your lawn and how often you do it (simulating the effect of different herbivores grazing in the wild), you can create a mix of conditions which benefit a variety of species. </p>
<p>Areas cut short will favour daisies, which flower in profusion and offer a nectar buffet to bees and butterflies. Unkempt areas left uncut for a year suit a wider variety of flowers, tempting a diverse cast of bugs and other creatures into your garden.</p>
<p>In experiments on his own garden in Kent, Charles Darwin <a href="http://darwin-online.org.uk/Variorum/1869/1869-79-c-1860.html">recorded</a> that refraining from mowing turf for too long resulted in fewer species overall, because:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the more vigorous plants gradually kill the less vigorous … thus out of 20 species growing on a little plot of turf (three feet by four) nine species perished from the other species being allowed to grow up freely.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another key thing to think about is the level of nutrients the lawn receives. Even if you have never succumbed to the lawn feed products heavily promoted in most garden centres, your lawn will get a sufficient dose of fertiliser from <a href="https://unece.org/reactive-nitrogen">reactive nitrogen</a> carried on the wind. </p>
<p>The purpose of mowing in a natural grassland should be to mimic grazing by animals. And to do that, you have to remove the clippings otherwise the nutrients they carry will soak back into the soil.</p>
<p>Fungi and bacteria decompose dead plant material and return those nutrients to plants in a lawn through networks of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. Regular mows which dump the cuttings and overload the soil with nutrients drive a stick through the spokes of this cycle by devaluing the currency of the nitrogen and phosphorus fungi deliver. Clumps of cut grass can also <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2403767?seq=1">smother small seedlings</a>.</p>
<p>At unnaturally high soil nutrient levels (common in lawns mown and topped with the clippings regularly), the vegetation is dominated by a small number of fast-growing, weedy species. As Darwin found, this prevents a rich community of wildflowers from taking shape. Soil with low nutrient levels favours not only more species, but also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S143917912100030X">healthy soil food webs</a>.</p>
<p>At the <a href="http://www.era.rothamsted.ac.uk/Park">Rothamsted Park Grass</a> experiment in Hertfordshire, scientists have studied the effects of annual haycutting since 1860, making it the oldest field experiment in the world. When fertiliser was evenly applied to some plots, it reduced the number of plant species <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01145.x">from 40 to fewer than five</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A blue rake on a wooden stick collects grass cuttings in a pile." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466020/original/file-20220530-22-njuz7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466020/original/file-20220530-22-njuz7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466020/original/file-20220530-22-njuz7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466020/original/file-20220530-22-njuz7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466020/original/file-20220530-22-njuz7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466020/original/file-20220530-22-njuz7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466020/original/file-20220530-22-njuz7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Grass cuttings inundate soils with more nutrients than a diverse community of plants needs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/blue-rake-on-wooden-stick-collecting-391503748">Ekaterina Pankina/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Autumn fruiting</h2>
<p>You also want to consider the time of year. Mow sparingly and leave grass long in summer to create diverse plant and insect communities in the warmest months. A lawn left uncut until late July, as in a traditional hay meadow, will favour the greatest variety of flowers. But cut it short in autumn to foster conditions for mushrooms fruiting as the year winds down.</p>
<p>Soil organisms and their hidden lives are badly neglected in nature conservation. Among the most overlooked are grassland macrofungi, so named because they are large enough to be visible to the naked eye. My favourites are the brightly coloured waxcaps. These <a href="http://www.aber.ac.uk/waxcap/downloads/griffith-waxcapbritishwildlife04.pdf">film stars of the fungal world</a> are restricted to undisturbed grasslands where <a href="https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1462-2920.14327">soil nutrient concentrations are low</a>.</p>
<p>The British Isles is a global hotspot for these fungi, but they are threatened by habitat loss. 11 species found in the UK were assessed by <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=waxcap&searchType=species">international experts</a> as vulnerable – the same extinction risk faced by the panda and snow leopard.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Three pink mushrooms with split edges in grass." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466017/original/file-20220530-16-4stk64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466017/original/file-20220530-16-4stk64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466017/original/file-20220530-16-4stk64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466017/original/file-20220530-16-4stk64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466017/original/file-20220530-16-4stk64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466017/original/file-20220530-16-4stk64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466017/original/file-20220530-16-4stk64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pink ballerina mushrooms in an Aberystwyth garden. This species is considered globally vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Gareth Griffith</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320711004241">study by my research group</a> showed that waxcaps need the turf to be short (8cm tall at most) in the autumn, but that their most prolific fruiting occurred when the grass was left uncut until mid-July. Waxcaps grow slowly and are long-lived, but with late cuts and the removal of clippings to lower soil nutrient levels, it is likely that <a href="https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/hygrocybe-conica.php">the first waxcaps</a> will return within a decade.</p>
<p>To sum up, delay mowing until midsummer, keep your lawn free of clippings and leave patches more unkempt for longer to please butterflies and bees. But give it regular trims from August onwards to encourage globally rare mushrooms. You’ll then see that grasslands are diverse and dynamic habitats just waiting to be unleashed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183692/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gareth Griffith has received funding from the charities Woodland Trust and Plantlife.</span></em></p>
Plus, why you should always remove grass cuttings from your lawn.
Gareth Griffith, Professor of Fungal Ecology, Aberystwyth University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/160601
2021-05-10T19:50:59Z
2021-05-10T19:50:59Z
Scientists are more likely to study bold and beautiful blooms, but ugly flowers matter too
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399682/original/file-20210510-19-1qnjuk4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C30%2C2233%2C2967&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">_Myricaria germanica_ is a rare and endangered species hit hard by climate change, but little research is undertaken to help save it</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Martino Adamo</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>We all love gardens with beautiful flowers and leafy plants, choosing colourful species to plant in and around our homes. Plant scientists, however, may have fallen for the same trick in what they choose to research. </p>
<p><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00912-2">Our research</a>, published today in Nature Plants, found there’s a clear bias among scientists toward visually striking plants. This means they’re more likely chosen for scientific study and conservation efforts, regardless of their ecological or evolutionary significance. </p>
<p>To our surprise, colour played a major role skewing researcher bias. White, red and pink flowers were more likely to feature in research literature than those with dull, or green and brown flowers. Blue plants — the <a href="https://sciences.adelaide.edu.au/news/list/2019/08/20/why-is-the-colour-blue-so-rare-in-nature">rarest colour</a> in nature — received most research attention.</p>
<p>But does this bias matter? Plants worldwide are facing mass extinction due to environmental threats such as climate change. Now, more than ever, the human-induced tide of extinction means scientists need to be more fair-handed in ensuring all species have a fighting chance at survival. </p>
<h2>Hidden plants in carpets of wildflowers</h2>
<p>I was part of an international team that sifted through 280 research papers from 1975 to 2020, and analysed 113 plant species found in the southwestern Alps in Europe. </p>
<p>The Alps is a global biodiversity hotspot and the subject of almost 200 years of intensive plant science. But climate change is now creating hotter conditions, threatening many of its rarest species. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399645/original/file-20210510-17-1vvu1q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="White flower with mountains in background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399645/original/file-20210510-17-1vvu1q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399645/original/file-20210510-17-1vvu1q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399645/original/file-20210510-17-1vvu1q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399645/original/file-20210510-17-1vvu1q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399645/original/file-20210510-17-1vvu1q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399645/original/file-20210510-17-1vvu1q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399645/original/file-20210510-17-1vvu1q2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Edelweiss is a charismatic plant of the Alps that heralds spring.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Carpeted in snow for much of the year, the brief yet explosive flowering of Europe’s alpine flora following the thaw is a joy to behold. Who was not bewitched when Julie Andrews danced in an alpine meadow in its full spring wildflower livery in The Sound of Music? Or when she sung “edelweiss”, one of the charismatic plants of the Alps that heralds spring? </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-are-blind-to-plants-and-thats-bad-news-for-conservation-65240">People are 'blind' to plants, and that's bad news for conservation</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Hidden in these carpets of bright blue gentians and <em>Delphiniums</em>, vibrant daisies and orchids, are tiny or dull plants. This includes small sedges (<em>Carex</em> species), lady’s mantle (<em>Alchemilla</em> species) or the snake lily (<em>Fritillaria</em>) with its sanguine drooping flowers on thin stems. </p>
<p>Many of these “uncharismatic plants” are also rare or important ecological species, yet garner little attention from scientists and the public. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399614/original/file-20210510-23-ommt1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1280%2C854&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Close-up of a blue flower" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399614/original/file-20210510-23-ommt1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1280%2C854&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399614/original/file-20210510-23-ommt1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399614/original/file-20210510-23-ommt1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399614/original/file-20210510-23-ommt1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399614/original/file-20210510-23-ommt1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399614/original/file-20210510-23-ommt1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399614/original/file-20210510-23-ommt1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bellflowers (<em>Campanula</em>) are conspicuous and prominent in the Alps.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Martino Adamo</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The plants scientists prefer</h2>
<p><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00912-2">The study asked</a> if scientists were impartial to good-looking plants. We tested whether there was a relationship between research focus on plant species and characteristics, such as the colour, shape and prominence of species.</p>
<p>Along with a bias towards colourful flowers, we found accessible and conspicuous flowers were among those most studied (outside of plants required for human food or medicine).</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399616/original/file-20210510-17-1j6figo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Blue flowers" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399616/original/file-20210510-17-1j6figo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399616/original/file-20210510-17-1j6figo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399616/original/file-20210510-17-1j6figo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399616/original/file-20210510-17-1j6figo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399616/original/file-20210510-17-1j6figo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399616/original/file-20210510-17-1j6figo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399616/original/file-20210510-17-1j6figo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bold and beautiful flowers in alpine meadows win scientific attention.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Martino Adamo</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This includes tall, prominent <em>Delphinium</em> and larkspurs, both well-known garden delights with well-displayed, vibrant flowers that often verge on fluorescent. Stem height also contributed to how readily a plant was researched, as it determines a plant’s ability to stand out among others. This includes tall bellflowers (<em>Campanula</em> species) and orchids. </p>
<p>But interestingly, a plant’s rarity didn’t significantly influence research attention. Charismatic orchids, for example, figured prominently despite rarer, less obvious species growing nearby, such as tiny sedges (<em>Cypreaceae</em>) and grass species.</p>
<h2>The consequences of plant favouritism</h2>
<p>This bias may steer conservation efforts away from plants that, while less visually pleasing, are more important to the health of the overall ecosystem or in need of urgent conservation.</p>
<p>In this time of urgent conservation, controlling our bias in plant science is critical. While the world list of threatened species (<a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">the IUCN RED List</a>) should be the basis for guiding global plant conservation, the practice is often far from science based. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399684/original/file-20210510-23-17k9bla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Mat rush with brown flowers" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399684/original/file-20210510-23-17k9bla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399684/original/file-20210510-23-17k9bla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399684/original/file-20210510-23-17k9bla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399684/original/file-20210510-23-17k9bla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399684/original/file-20210510-23-17k9bla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399684/original/file-20210510-23-17k9bla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399684/original/file-20210510-23-17k9bla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mat rushes are home for rare native sun moths.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We often don’t know how important a species is until it’s thoroughly researched, and losing an unnoticed species could mean the loss of a keystone plant. </p>
<p>In Australia, for example, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/gardening-for-butterflies/9434794">milkweeds</a> (<em>Asclepiadaceae</em>) are an important food source for butterflies and caterpillars, while grassy mat rushes (dull-flowered <em>Lomandra</em> species) are now known to be the home for rare native sun moths. From habitats to food, these plants provide foundational ecological services, yet many milkweed and mat rush species are rare, and largely neglected in conservation research.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/majestic-stunning-intriguing-and-bizarre-new-guinea-has-13-634-species-of-plants-and-these-are-some-of-our-favourites-144279">'Majestic, stunning, intriguing and bizarre': New Guinea has 13,634 species of plants, and these are some of our favourites</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Likewise, we can count on one hand the number of scientists who work on creepy fungal-like organisms called “slime molds”, compared to the platoons of scientists who work on <a href="https://www.nhbs.com/conservation-methods-for-terrestrial-orchids-book">the most glamorous of plants</a>: the orchids. </p>
<p>Yet, <a href="https://herbarium.usu.edu/fun-with-fungi/slime-molds">slime molds</a>, with their extraordinary ability to live without cell walls and to float their nuclei in a pulsating jelly of cytoplasm, could hold keys to all sorts of remarkable scientific discoveries.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399641/original/file-20210510-12-15audyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Yellow slime on tree trunk" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399641/original/file-20210510-12-15audyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399641/original/file-20210510-12-15audyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399641/original/file-20210510-12-15audyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399641/original/file-20210510-12-15audyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399641/original/file-20210510-12-15audyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399641/original/file-20210510-12-15audyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399641/original/file-20210510-12-15audyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Slime molds could hold the key to many scientific discoveries, but the organisms are understudied.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>We need to love our boring plants</h2>
<p>Our study shows the need to take aesthetic biases more explicitly into consideration in science and in the choice of species studied, for the best conservation and ecological outcomes.</p>
<p>While our study didn’t venture into Australia, the principle holds true: we should be more vigilant in all parts of the conservation process, from the science to listing species for protection under the law. (Attractiveness bias may affect public interest here, too.)</p>
<p>So next time you go for a bushwalk, think about the plants you may have trodden on because they weren’t worth a second glance. They may be important to native insects, improve soil health or critical for a healthy bushland. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/these-3-tips-will-help-you-create-a-thriving-pollinator-friendly-garden-this-winter-157880">These 3 tips will help you create a thriving pollinator-friendly garden this winter</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160601/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kingsley Dixon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
New research found colour played a major role skewing researcher bias — pretty, vibrant flowers get more scientific attention than dull plants, regardless of their ecological significance.
Kingsley Dixon, John Curtin Distinguished Professor, Curtin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/158679
2021-04-20T13:58:42Z
2021-04-20T13:58:42Z
Baby bees love carbs, experiments show – here’s why that matters
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394453/original/file-20210412-17-26zavy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2048%2C1364&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Red mason bee just hatched out of its cocoon. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newly_Hatched_Red_Mason_Bee_on_Cocoons.jpg">Hazet/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wild bees are essential for sustaining the landscapes we love. A <a href="https://theconversation.com/boosting-bee-diversity-can-help-stabilise-crop-production-new-research-157328">healthy community</a> of wild pollinators ensures that most flowering plants have an A-team pollinator species and a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2008.0405">reserve bench of backups</a>. Honeybees – just one bee species among many – can’t do the job by themselves. </p>
<p>Luckily, they don’t have to: there are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-020-01333-9">over 20,000 wild bee species</a> on Earth. The UK is home to around 270 bee species, including 24 species of bumblebee (which, like honeybees, are social, with queens and workers) and nearly 250 solitary species, such as mason bees, which don’t have a worker caste and females raise young alone. Collectively, these wild bees <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01418.x">pollinate more flowers</a> than honeybees ever could, and so are critical for keeping our food supply running.</p>
<p>To do this, though, bees first need to feed their own growing young. Unfortunately for them, humans are carpeting landscapes with monoculture crops and grassland. This threatens <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1255957">wild bee populations</a> by turning what were once colourful cornucopias of pollen choices into featureless <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-steps-to-make-your-lawn-a-wildlife-haven-from-green-desert-to-miniature-rainforest-117482">green deserts</a>. </p>
<p>Astonishingly, <a href="https://rapidecology.com/2018/03/07/we-should-study-the-nutritional-ecology-of-wild-bees-to-be-bee-friendly/">we still know very little</a> about what nutrients in pollen help young bees grow. For example, people try to help wild bees by planting “bee-friendly” wildflower seed mixes, which are sold to farmers and in garden centres. </p>
<p>These mixes are tailored to produce flowers that provide bees with a sufficient quantity of nectar and pollen across the year. But they aren’t designed with pollen quality in mind, because nobody really knows what balance of nutrients young wild bees need to grow. </p>
<p>The little we know about nutrition for baby bees comes from studies of social species, where it is difficult to study individual young because they are bound up in complex interactions with the workers that feed them. Usually, we have to infer what the young need from the pollen we see being gathered by workers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, worker bees choose to gather <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1606101113">protein-rich</a> pollen diets for <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoz026">growing young</a>.</p>
<p>Two new studies are helping to paint a more detailed picture of a baby bee’s ideal diet by focusing on solitary bees, such as mason bees. Unlike workers in social bee colonies, mason bee mothers feed each individual young only once. </p>
<p>They pack nest cells individually with a “pollen ball”, lay an egg on it, seal the cell, and leave. This setup makes it easy for us to observe, measure and – crucially – manipulate what individual solitary bee larvae are fed.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394450/original/file-20210412-15-1m19n32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A graphic depicting the life stages of a mason bee." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394450/original/file-20210412-15-1m19n32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/394450/original/file-20210412-15-1m19n32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394450/original/file-20210412-15-1m19n32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394450/original/file-20210412-15-1m19n32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394450/original/file-20210412-15-1m19n32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394450/original/file-20210412-15-1m19n32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/394450/original/file-20210412-15-1m19n32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Life cycle of a mason bee.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/9/12/462/htm">M. Filipiak/Biology</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For the first time, we hand-reared solitary mason bee larvae on artificial diets, and the results are lifting the lid on what wild bees really need for healthy growth.</p>
<h2>Surprise: bees love carbs</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13746">In the first study</a>, lead author Alex Austin manipulated the bees’ protein and carbohydrate intake by providing artificial pollen diets with different combinations of these macronutrients. The idea was to find out, first, which diet was best for bee growth and survival – and how much of each diet the larvae chose to eat – and, second, what diet bee larvae would compose for themselves if offered the choice. For this second question, the larvae were offered two different diets, which were swapped every 48 hours, and how much of each diet the larvae chose to eat was measured. </p>
<p>We were surprised when the bee offspring fared best on high-carbohydrate diets – and, when given the choice, composed for themselves a much more carb-based diet than social bee workers gather for their brood. Our larvae all ate pretty much the same amount of carbohydrate (about 0.25g), regardless of how much protein they also took in. </p>
<p>Typically, we’d expect herbivores, such as bees, to gorge on whatever protein is available, since a normal plant-eater’s diet consists mostly of carbohydrates. Carb-loading behaviour, like we saw in mason bees, is something we’d instead expect to see in carnivores, for whom protein is plentiful but carbs are scarce. But bees aren’t your typical herbivores: pollen is usually protein-rich and carb-poor, unlike most plant tissue. </p>
<p>Carbs are especially scarce for mason bee larvae because they do not store honey – a key source of carbohydrate for many social bees – and parents put very little nectar into the pollen ball. Mason bees may also be particularly carb-hungry because they have to lay down fat to survive hibernation over winter, a process that workers in social colonies tend to avoid.</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/DioM7o62o38">In the other study</a>, a team of researchers from Poland focused on how micronutrients (the trace elements sodium, potassium and zinc) affect growth. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9120462">The researchers found</a> that while the potassium in pollen is essential for bees’ growth, mason bee larvae also need it for weaving their cocoons – something social bee young don’t need to do. </p>
<p>So when potassium is in short supply, mason bees are forced to choose between growing big or completing their cocoon. Also, male and female bees need different diets: zinc shortage primarily affects males, while sodium deficiency affects females.</p>
<p>In both studies, young mason bees required special nutrition that matched their specific lifestyle. For example, carbohydrates help them survive winters without nectar stores, while potassium supports cocoon-building. Since social bees store nectar – and workers don’t overwinter or build cocoons – their young are likely to have different requirements.</p>
<p>Our findings suggest that bees’ dietary requirements may be just as diverse as their different lifestyles. We mustn’t ignore these differences – so it may be wise to use them to refine our idea of a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13383">“bee-friendly” wildflower mix</a>. By considering the nuances of bees’ dietary needs, we can design <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13383">nutritionally balanced</a> seed mixes that help pollinators shore up our ecosystems and food supplies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158679/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
First ever feeding experiments reveal that solitary bees need to carb-load – and can be picky when it comes to dieting.
James Gilbert, Lecturer in Zoology, University of Hull
Elizabeth Duncan, Associate Professor of Zoology, University of Leeds
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/157328
2021-03-17T14:33:01Z
2021-03-17T14:33:01Z
Boosting bee diversity can help stabilise crop production – new research
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390135/original/file-20210317-23-f5zqvu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4344%2C2893&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A hornfaced bee on a catkin.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hornfaced-bee-osmia-cornuta-catkin-638653816">Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are over 20,000 bee species and together they help pollinate <a href="https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/spm_deliverable_3a_pollination_20170222.pdf">more than 75%</a> of the world’s leading food crops. Honeybees tend to hog the limelight, but few realise how important diversity is to this process. Having lots of different species of pollinating insects on farmland can lead to better <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/10/eaax0121">crop yields</a>, while crops attended by fewer species tend to <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/339/6127/1608">set less fruit and produce fewer seeds</a>. </p>
<p>For food systems to maintain a stable output each year, farms need pollinator numbers to remain stable too. But the abundance of these insects can fluctuate from one year to the next, so what’s needed to keep them relatively constant? With so much of the world’s food production dependent on the pollinating work of insects, this question is very important.</p>
<p>We wanted to find out more, so my colleagues and I <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0212">researched</a> 21 different crops across 12 countries. We looked at intensively managed almond, apple and pear orchards and oil seed rape fields in North America, South America and Europe. But we also studied less intensive mixed cropping systems growing aubergine, pumpkin and other gourds in India, as well as mangoes in South Africa, turnips in China and Kiwifruit and avocados in New Zealand.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A bee on a forget-me-not flower." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390119/original/file-20210317-21-5bxcyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390119/original/file-20210317-21-5bxcyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390119/original/file-20210317-21-5bxcyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390119/original/file-20210317-21-5bxcyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390119/original/file-20210317-21-5bxcyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=624&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390119/original/file-20210317-21-5bxcyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=624&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390119/original/file-20210317-21-5bxcyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=624&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Most of the world’s bees are solitary and don’t live in hives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Deepa Senapathi</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We found that more diverse communities of crop pollinating insects – comprised of a greater number of different species – had more stable numbers from one year to the next. If you imagine one field with 100 bees belonging to just two species, and another field with 100 bees made up of ten species, the latter is more likely to keep stable pollinator numbers over time.</p>
<h2>A pollinator insurance policy</h2>
<p>Providing ample opportunities for a diverse range of insects to nest and forage on farms over long periods of time could make pollinator communities more diverse and abundant. It may help keep pollination stable over several years too. That could mean <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.01.025">mowing grass</a> or <a href="https://www.ceh.ac.uk/sites/default/files/HedgerowManagementResearchProject_SummaryLeaflet_June15.pdf">pruning hedgerows</a> less often and planting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-4598.2010.00098.x">wildflower strips</a> alongside crops. Since many pollinators, particularly bees, nest in soil, allowing room for <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0307-6946.2005.00662.x">bare ground</a> and dead wood and <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/i3800e/i3800e.pdf">limiting the use</a> of agrochemicals could also make farmland habitats more attractive to a wide range of species.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A grassy bridleway with a border of white wildflowers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390142/original/file-20210317-13-8nwpc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390142/original/file-20210317-13-8nwpc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390142/original/file-20210317-13-8nwpc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390142/original/file-20210317-13-8nwpc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390142/original/file-20210317-13-8nwpc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390142/original/file-20210317-13-8nwpc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390142/original/file-20210317-13-8nwpc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Providing food and habitat for wild insects can nurture a more diverse community of pollinators.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/grassy-bridleway-strip-wildflowers-yorkshire-wolds-447263545">Emjay Smith/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We also found that if a particular species of solitary bee, bumblebee or honeybee was the most numerous on a patch of farmland throughout all the years of the study, the overall number of pollinators was more stable too. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8414">A previous study</a> found that a small minority of dominant species often carries out the majority of crop pollination.</p>
<p>So, a short-term fix might be supporting the same dominant species from one year to the next. This could be achieved using managed pollinators, such as honeybees or bumblebees. But this isn’t a sustainable solution. In the long term, farms with just a handful of pollinator species should focus on boosting the diversity of their pollinator community. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A beekeeper handles a frame of honeybees from a hive." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390146/original/file-20210317-15-1x8wzmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390146/original/file-20210317-15-1x8wzmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390146/original/file-20210317-15-1x8wzmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390146/original/file-20210317-15-1x8wzmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390146/original/file-20210317-15-1x8wzmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390146/original/file-20210317-15-1x8wzmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390146/original/file-20210317-15-1x8wzmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Relying on a few species can keep pollination stable for a while – but it’s risky in the long run.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-female-beekeeper-professional-costume-inspects-1238752243">Try_my_best</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While a few dominant species play an important role in pollinating crops at present, rebuilding the diversity of wild pollinators offers insurance against future changes in the environment. If one dominant pollinator struggled to cope with rising temperatures or a disease outbreak, a diverse community of other species could take over and prevent a collapse in crop pollination.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157328/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deepa Senapathi has received funding from EU COST action, H2020, UKRI, NERC, BBSRC & GCRF.</span></em></p>
A diverse pollinator community is a reliable one.
Deepa Senapathi, Senior Research Fellow in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, University of Reading
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/140638
2020-06-24T05:00:20Z
2020-06-24T05:00:20Z
How drought-breaking rains transformed these critically endangered woodlands into a flower-filled vista
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343365/original/file-20200623-188904-1mwkm18.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C0%2C2433%2C1374&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Wildflowers blooming in box gum grassy woodland </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jacqui Stol</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In box gum grassy woodlands, widely spaced eucalypts tower over carpets of wildflowers, lush native grasses and groves of flowering wattles. It’s no wonder some <a href="https://nga.gov.au/exhibition/heysen/default.cfm?IRN=196937&BioArtistIRN=16602&MnuID=3&GalID=4&ViewID=2">early landscape paintings</a> depicting Australian farm life <a href="https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/download?pid=procite:dc9b10fe-5405-4ab5-8c5f-ca49c4c5ad87&dsid=DS1">are inspired by</a> this ecosystem.</p>
<p>But box gum grassy woodlands are <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/conservation-advices/white-box-yellow-box-blakely%27s-red-gum-grassy-woodlands-derived-native-grasslands">critically endangered</a>. These woodlands grow on highly productive agricultural country, from southern Queensland, along inland slopes and tablelands, into Victoria. </p>
<p>Many are degraded or cleared for farming. As a result, <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/be2ff840-7e59-48b0-9eb5-4ad003d01481/files/box-gum.pdf">less than 5% of the woodlands</a> remain in good condition. What remains often grows on private land such as farms, and public lands such as cemeteries or travelling stock routes. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/backyard-gardeners-around-the-world-are-helping-to-save-australias-deeply-ancient-wollemi-pine-138797">Backyard gardeners around the world are helping to save Australia's deeply ancient Wollemi pine</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/download?pid=csiro:EP154278&dsid=DS4">Very little is protected</a> in public conservation reserves. And the recent drought and record breaking heat caused these woodlands to stop growing and flowering.</p>
<p>But after Queensland’s recent <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/rain/archive.jsp?colour=colour&map=totals&year=2020&month=3&period=3month&area=qd">drought-breaking rain</a> earlier this year, we surveyed private farmland and found many dried-out woodlands in the northernmost areas transformed into flower-filled, park-like landscapes. </p>
<p>And landholders even came across rarely seen marsupials, such as the southern spotted-tail quoll. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343369/original/file-20200623-188891-18lmg4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343369/original/file-20200623-188891-18lmg4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343369/original/file-20200623-188891-18lmg4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343369/original/file-20200623-188891-18lmg4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343369/original/file-20200623-188891-18lmg4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343369/original/file-20200623-188891-18lmg4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343369/original/file-20200623-188891-18lmg4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343369/original/file-20200623-188891-18lmg4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Native yellow wildflowers called ‘scaly buttons’ bloom on a stewardship site.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jacqui Stol</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Huge increase in plant diversity</h2>
<p>These surveys were part of the Australian government’s <a href="http://www.nrm.gov.au/national/continuing-investment/environmental-stewardship">Environmental Stewardship Program</a>, a long-term cooperative conservation model with private landholders. It started in 2007 and will run for 19 years. </p>
<p>We found huge increases in previously declining native wildflowers and grasses on the private farmland. Many trees assumed to be dying began resprouting, such as McKie’s stringybark (<em>Eucalyptus mckieana</em>), which is listed as a <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=20199">vulnerable species</a>. </p>
<p>This newfound plant diversity is the result of seeds and tubers (underground storage organs providing energy and nutrients for regrowth) lying dormant in the soil after wildflowers bloomed in earlier seasons. The dormant seeds and tubers were ready to spring into life with the right seasonal conditions.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/plants/herbarium">Queensland Herbarium</a> surveys early last year, during the drought, looked at a 20 metre by 20 metre plot and found only six native grass and wildflower species on one property. After this year’s rain, we found 59 species in the same plot, including many species of perennial grass (three species jumped to 20 species post rain), native bluebells and many species of native daisies. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-native-plants-can-flourish-after-bushfire-but-theres-only-so-much-hardship-they-can-take-129748">Yes, native plants can flourish after bushfire. But there’s only so much hardship they can take</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>On another property with only 11 recorded species, more than 60 species sprouted after the extensive rains. </p>
<p>In areas where grazing and farming continued as normal (the paired “control” sites), the plots had only around half the number of plant species as areas managed for conservation. </p>
<h2>Spotting rare marsupials</h2>
<p>Landowners also reported several unusual sightings of animals on their farms after the rains. Stewardship program surveyors later identified them as two species of rare and endangered native carnivorous marsupials: the southern spotted-tailed quoll (mainland Australia’s largest carnivorous marsupial) and the brush-tailed <a href="https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:b6930f29-3f26-415e-a760-c12c320c2931">phascogale</a>. </p>
<p>The population status of both these species in southern Queensland is unknown. The brush-tailed phascogale is elusive and rarely detected, while the southern spotted-tailed quolls are listed as <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=75184">endangered</a> under federal legislation.</p>
<p>Until those sightings, there were no recent records of southern spotted-tailed quolls in the local area. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343367/original/file-20200623-188886-1du1sme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343367/original/file-20200623-188886-1du1sme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343367/original/file-20200623-188886-1du1sme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343367/original/file-20200623-188886-1du1sme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343367/original/file-20200623-188886-1du1sme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343367/original/file-20200623-188886-1du1sme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343367/original/file-20200623-188886-1du1sme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343367/original/file-20200623-188886-1du1sme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A spotted tailed quoll caught in a camera trap.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sean Fitzgibbon</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These unusual wildlife sightings are valuable for monitoring and evaluation. They tell us what’s thriving, declining or surviving, compared to the first surveys for the stewardship program ten years ago.</p>
<p>Sightings are also a promising signal for the improving condition of the property and its surrounding landscape. </p>
<h2>Changing farm habits</h2>
<p>More than 200 farmers signed up to the stewardship program for the conservation and management of nationally threatened ecological communities on private lands. Most have said they’re keen to continue the partnership.</p>
<p>The landholders are funded to manage their farms as part of the stewardship program <a href="http://nrmonline.nrm.gov.au/catalog/mql:2407">in ways</a> that will help the woodlands recover, and help reverse declines in biodiversity. </p>
<p>For example, by changing the number of livestock grazing at any one time, and shortening their grazing time, many of the grazing-sensitive wildflowers have a better chance to germinate, grow, flower and produce seeds in the right seasonal conditions. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/plant-blindness-is-obscuring-the-extinction-crisis-for-non-animal-species-118208">'Plant blindness' is obscuring the extinction crisis for non-animal species</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>They can also manage weeds, and not remove fallen timber or loose rocks (bushrock). Fallen timber and rocks protect grazing-sensitive plants and provide habitat for birds, reptiles and invertebrates foraging on the ground.</p>
<h2>Cautious optimism</h2>
<p>So can we be optimistic for the future of wildlife and wildflowers of the box gum grassy woodlands? Yes, cautiously so. </p>
<p>Landholders are learning more about how best to manage biodiversity on their farms, but ecological recovery can take time. In any case, we’ve discovered how resilient our flora and fauna can be in the face of severe drought when given the opportunity to grow and flourish. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343368/original/file-20200623-188911-94fqxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343368/original/file-20200623-188911-94fqxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343368/original/file-20200623-188911-94fqxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343368/original/file-20200623-188911-94fqxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343368/original/file-20200623-188911-94fqxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343368/original/file-20200623-188911-94fqxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343368/original/file-20200623-188911-94fqxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343368/original/file-20200623-188911-94fqxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The rare hooded robin has also been recorded on stewardship sites during surveys.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Micah Davies</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Climate change is bringing more extreme weather events. Last year was the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/aus/">warmest on record</a> and the nation has been gripped by severe, protracted drought. There’s only so much pressure our iconic wildlife and wildflowers can take before they cross ecological thresholds that are difficult to bounce back from. </p>
<p>More government programs like this, and greater understanding and collaboration between scientists and farmers, create a <a href="https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/download?pid=csiro:EP154278&dsid=DS4">tremendous opportunity</a> to keep changing that trajectory for the better.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140638/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqui Stol works for the CSIRO, which receives funding and was contracted by the Australian Government for the Environmental Stewardship Program</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Annie Kelly works for the Queensland Herbarium, which receives funding and was contracted by the Australian Government for the Environmental Stewardship Program</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Suzanne Prober works for CSIRO, which receives funding from the Australian Government to undertake monitoring for the Environmental Stewardship Program</span></em></p>
Box gum grassy woodlands are critically endangered. What’s left often grows on farms, and farmers are helping to conserve them.
Jacqui Stol, Senior Experimental Scientist, Ecologist, CSIRO Land and Water, CSIRO
Annie Kelly, Senior Ecologist, Queensland Herbarium
Suzanne Prober, Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/120014
2019-07-09T09:36:54Z
2019-07-09T09:36:54Z
Roadside wildflower meadows are springing up across the UK – and they’re helping wildlife in a big way
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283034/original/file-20190708-51305-1m7jtop.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The eight-mile 'river of flowers' that grows alongside a motorway near Rotherham, UK.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/">Pictorial Meadows</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the end of World War II, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0006320787901212">97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows</a> have been dug up or destroyed. Many won’t remember a time when the countryside was filled with grassland that rippled with rainbows of flowers, but they are likely to recognise the intense yellow glare of pesticide-soaked oilseed rape fields that dominate rural landscapes today. </p>
<p>The joy of being immersed in a meadow – surrounded by the fluttering of butterflies, the chirping of crickets and the buzz of bees – is increasingly rare. Without urgent action to tackle <a href="https://theconversation.com/revolutionary-change-needed-to-stop-unprecedented-global-extinction-crisis-116166">dwindling biodiversity</a>, these memories will disappear.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283064/original/file-20190708-51288-vke4vs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283064/original/file-20190708-51288-vke4vs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283064/original/file-20190708-51288-vke4vs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283064/original/file-20190708-51288-vke4vs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283064/original/file-20190708-51288-vke4vs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283064/original/file-20190708-51288-vke4vs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283064/original/file-20190708-51288-vke4vs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wildflowers bloom near a housing estate in Hull.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/">Pictorial Meadows</a></span>
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<p>Just like the flowers that they feed on, insect pollinators are in trouble, with one third of the UK’s wild bee and hoverfly species showing <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08974-9">declines in their numbers</a> since the 1980s. Clearing grassland for farms and using harmful chemicals such as pesticides on crops has driven many pollinator species to this state, but these insects are essential for growing many of our favourite crops. </p>
<p>By transferring pollen between flowers, they ensure that crop plants are successfully fertilised and can go on to develop the fruits and seeds that we like to eat. Without them, future generations may no longer be able to enjoy summer strawberries or autumn’s apples and pears. </p>
<p>How we grow food will need to change to ensure wildlife has room to live and isn’t exposed to toxic chemicals. In the meantime, there are solutions sitting right on our doorsteps. Simple changes to how our gardens, parks and public spaces are managed could give pollinators a brighter future.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283062/original/file-20190708-51253-1dfh6fc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283062/original/file-20190708-51253-1dfh6fc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283062/original/file-20190708-51253-1dfh6fc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283062/original/file-20190708-51253-1dfh6fc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283062/original/file-20190708-51253-1dfh6fc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283062/original/file-20190708-51253-1dfh6fc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283062/original/file-20190708-51253-1dfh6fc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A meadow growing strong beneath an overpass in Sheffield.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/">Pictorial Meadows</a></span>
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<h2>The road to change</h2>
<p>One way to protect our pollinators is to change the way that our roadsides are managed. Some country lanes are bursting with blooms, but the majority of road verges in the UK are cut to within an inch of their lives. Regular mowing is needed to ensure drivers can see clearly on sharp bends and junctions, but neat and tidy roadsides leave nothing for pollinators to eat. </p>
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<p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/four-steps-to-make-your-lawn-a-wildlife-haven-from-green-desert-to-miniature-rainforest-117482">Four steps to make your lawn a wildlife haven – from green desert to miniature rainforest</a>
</strong>
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</p>
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<p>Sowing wildflower seed mixes and reducing how often verges are mowed can transform barren stretches of motorway into colourful meadows filled with the pollen and nectar that bees and butterflies currently struggle to find. Bees don’t seem to be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320708002826">put off by the traffic noise</a> and their numbers have been shown to increase dramatically on verges that are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-014-9744-3">cut no more than twice a year</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283057/original/file-20190708-51253-1qgtde7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283057/original/file-20190708-51253-1qgtde7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283057/original/file-20190708-51253-1qgtde7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283057/original/file-20190708-51253-1qgtde7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283057/original/file-20190708-51253-1qgtde7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283057/original/file-20190708-51253-1qgtde7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283057/original/file-20190708-51253-1qgtde7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bees, butterflies and hoverflies are more abundant on meadow habitat than grass verges that are regularly mowed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/">Pictorial Meadows</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>Plantlife, a British conservation charity, has called on councils to turn their road verges into wildflower meadows by cutting just once in late summer, between <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320709001761">mid-July and September</a>. <a href="http://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/">Pictorial Meadows</a> is another campaign group that has researched how meadows can be encouraged in urban environments. It recommends cutting late to give flowers time to be pollinated, produce fruit and then set their <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1654-109X.2007.tb00528.x">seeds in the soil</a>, so that the meadow can grow back year after year. Cutting earlier prevents flowers from fruiting and setting seed.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283059/original/file-20190708-51273-1bqpayd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283059/original/file-20190708-51273-1bqpayd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283059/original/file-20190708-51273-1bqpayd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283059/original/file-20190708-51273-1bqpayd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283059/original/file-20190708-51273-1bqpayd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283059/original/file-20190708-51273-1bqpayd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283059/original/file-20190708-51273-1bqpayd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283059/original/file-20190708-51273-1bqpayd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Red poppies and blue cornflowers are common UK wildflower species.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/">Pictorial Meadows</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over 65,000 people have now <a href="https://plantlife.love-wildflowers.org.uk/roadvergecampaign">signed a petition</a> encouraging councils across the UK to allow wildflower meadows to grow on roadside verges. Councils seem to be listening. Rotherham Borough Council has established eight miles of meadows alongside a motorway, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48772448">saving £23,000 per year</a> on mowing costs.</p>
<p>The UK road network spans over <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/722478/road-lengths-in-great-britain-2017.pdf">246,000 miles</a> – and reducing mowing on the grass verges that surround them to just once a year could save money and create thriving habitats for pollinating insects that return on their own each spring.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283061/original/file-20190708-51253-o9r288.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283061/original/file-20190708-51253-o9r288.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283061/original/file-20190708-51253-o9r288.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283061/original/file-20190708-51253-o9r288.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283061/original/file-20190708-51253-o9r288.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283061/original/file-20190708-51253-o9r288.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283061/original/file-20190708-51253-o9r288.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283061/original/file-20190708-51253-o9r288.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wildflowers brighten a roundabout in Sheffield.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/">Pictorial Meadows</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Next time you are out in your local area, have a look at the roadsides and public spaces from the perspective of a hungry bee. Can you find any flowers? Is there enough variety for you to maintain a balanced diet? Will there still be flowers for you to feed on next week? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you might be inspired to take action.</p>
<p>If you have a garden, <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-steps-to-make-your-lawn-a-wildlife-haven-from-green-desert-to-miniature-rainforest-117482">consider creating miniature meadows</a> in underused patches of lawn, or focus on filling the flower beds with <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-2435.12178">bee-friendly flowers</a>. Small changes do add up. By <a href="https://plantlife.lovewildflowers.org.uk/roadvergecampaign">signing the petition</a> and engaging with your local council in the campaign, we could see rapid and widespread transformation of road networks and a blossoming future for butterflies and bees.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120014/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Olivia Norfolk does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Britain’s councils are cutting roadside verges less often to allow vibrant wildflower meadows to bloom.
Olivia Norfolk, Lecturer in Conservation Ecology, Anglia Ruskin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/117482
2019-07-04T09:18:53Z
2019-07-04T09:18:53Z
Four steps to make your lawn a wildlife haven – from green desert to miniature rainforest
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282668/original/file-20190704-51292-17wdxpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7348%2C4912&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/monarch-butterfly-feeding-on-pink-flowers-362487542?src=Q045pBY34AlUWlzj6Ol6VQ-1-3&studio=1">Sean Xu/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you could ask British insects about the habitats they prefer, they’d probably tell you that you can’t improve on grassland that’s rich with wildflowers. For farmers, though, grassland is said to be “improved” if it has been treated with fertiliser and sown with fast growing grasses. </p>
<p>“Unimproved” grasslands are those that have not had their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989415300184">productivity improved</a> for agriculture. They’re <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989415300184">semi-natural habitats</a>, because if mowing or grazing stopped, they’d quickly turn to scrub and then woodland. These unimproved grasslands are extremely rich in the number of species they can support, sometimes having well over <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/habitats/grassland/lowland-calcareous-grassland">40 species</a> of flowering plant in a single square metre. </p>
<p>But since World War II, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0006320787901212">97% of unimproved grassland habitats</a> have vanished from the UK. This has contributed to the loss of pollinating insects – and the distribution of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08974-9">one third of species has shrunk since 1980</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281846/original/file-20190628-94724-f37lad.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281846/original/file-20190628-94724-f37lad.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281846/original/file-20190628-94724-f37lad.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281846/original/file-20190628-94724-f37lad.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281846/original/file-20190628-94724-f37lad.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281846/original/file-20190628-94724-f37lad.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281846/original/file-20190628-94724-f37lad.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281846/original/file-20190628-94724-f37lad.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Left - Grassland in Transylvania, where agricultural ‘improvement’ has been limited. Right - Potwell Dykes, Nottinghamshire – how much of the UK’s lost grassland would have looked.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adam Bates</span></span>
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<hr>
<p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/insects-species-that-prefer-crops-prosper-while-majority-decline-114206">Insects: species that prefer crops prosper while majority decline</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, your lawn can be thought of as a small patch of artificial grassland, which will usually have only a few species of turf grass. Most suburbs and villages still have around a <a href="http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org/Resources/tabid/82/Default.aspx">quarter to a third</a> of their area covered by grass. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, lawns are largely featureless and offer little refuge for small creatures like bugs and other invertebrates. Regular mowing also prevents plants from flowering and producing seeds, which is why carefully maintained lawns are mostly barren. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279107/original/file-20190612-32321-1hx1lag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279107/original/file-20190612-32321-1hx1lag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279107/original/file-20190612-32321-1hx1lag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279107/original/file-20190612-32321-1hx1lag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279107/original/file-20190612-32321-1hx1lag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279107/original/file-20190612-32321-1hx1lag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279107/original/file-20190612-32321-1hx1lag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279107/original/file-20190612-32321-1hx1lag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A traditionally managed lawn. There are few plant species and little structure for bugs to exploit. Spiders, for instance, have nothing to anchor their webs to.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adam Bates</span></span>
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<p>But lawns can be made into important wildlife habitat by changing how they’re managed. This is an idea that’s gaining traction – campaigns such as “<a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/children-families/say-no-to-the-mow">Say No to the Mow</a>” have made an “unkempt” garden more socially acceptable. For anyone wanting to create a wildlife lawn in their garden, there are four important steps to follow.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278972/original/file-20190611-32317-41mx0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278972/original/file-20190611-32317-41mx0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=131&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278972/original/file-20190611-32317-41mx0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278972/original/file-20190611-32317-41mx0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=131&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278972/original/file-20190611-32317-41mx0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=164&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278972/original/file-20190611-32317-41mx0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=164&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278972/original/file-20190611-32317-41mx0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=164&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adam Bates</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>1. Cut higher</h2>
<p>The first step is simple. By raising the height that the mower blade cuts the grass to its highest setting – usually about 4 cm off the ground – you can provide more variety in the lawn’s structure and more refuge for other plant and invertebrate species. </p>
<h2>2. Include mowing gaps</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282324/original/file-20190702-126345-1kkz0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282324/original/file-20190702-126345-1kkz0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282324/original/file-20190702-126345-1kkz0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282324/original/file-20190702-126345-1kkz0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282324/original/file-20190702-126345-1kkz0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282324/original/file-20190702-126345-1kkz0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282324/original/file-20190702-126345-1kkz0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282324/original/file-20190702-126345-1kkz0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fox-and-cubs (<em>Hieracium aurantiacum</em>) help feed leafcutter bees.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilosella_aurantiaca#/media/File:Hieracium_aurantiacum_LC0106.jpg">Jörg Hempel/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By mowing less often you can allow plants time to flower and provide a food source for bees and other pollinators. Leaving gaps between mowing in spring gives time for species like the <a href="https://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/plant/primula-veris">cowslip</a> to flower – a plant which has declined markedly in the UK but which butterflies like the <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/duke-of-burgundy">Duke of Burgundy depend on</a> for laying their eggs. </p>
<p>Summer gaps can allow species like <a href="https://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/plant/hypochaeris-radicata">cat’s ear</a> and <a href="https://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/plant/pilosella-aurantiaca">fox-and-cubs</a> time to flower, providing an important source of food for species of <a href="http://www.bwars.com/bee/megachilidae/megachile-centuncularis">leafcutter bee</a>. Deciding how long to wait between mowing isn’t an exact science, but can be judged by seeing whether or not the plants in your lawn have had a chance to flower. </p>
<h2>3. No fertilisers or herbicides</h2>
<p>“Weed and feeds” are used on lawns in a one-bottle mix of herbicide – used to kill non-grass species that we’d usually consider weeds – and fertiliser, to add nutrients to the soil. Herbicides reduce biodiversity by killing other species, but it may surprise you to learn that fertilisers are no friend to biodiversity either.</p>
<p>When gardening or farming, usually the more fertility in the soil the better, because this promotes greater productivity. In other words, more grass, greener grass, more flowers and larger flowers. The selective actions of the gardener or farmer to promote the target species, whether prized rose or crop, means that only the target species benefits. </p>
<p>Without this selectivity, more fertility in your lawn only favours the one or two turf species that are best able to take up nutrients and outcompete other species. So, more fertility means fewer plant species, despite the more luxuriant green colour.</p>
<h2>4. Remove the clippings</h2>
<p>Removing the grass clippings after you’ve mowed the lawn also reduces the fertility in your lawn, preventing it from becoming dominated by one or two competitive turf species. Removing and composting grass clippings will gradually remove nutrients from the soil, lowering the fertility with each cut. </p>
<p>Beyond these four steps for improving the value of your lawn to wildlife, there are other things that can be done by the more committed gardener. Leaving small areas of the lawn <a href="https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/children-families/say-no-to-the-mow">deliberately uncut</a> – such as strips at the sides or patches in the corners – can help small wildflower meadows to form. Cutting these at the end of summer will prevent them overgrowing into rank grassland with few species. </p>
<p>Wildlife value can also be added by spreading some locally-sourced wildflower seed on your lawn. If you’re <a href="https://bsbi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/Code-of-Conduct-v5-final.pdf">gathering seeds from elsewhere</a>, make sure to ask permission and don’t take too much.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279112/original/file-20190612-32321-m0vspi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279112/original/file-20190612-32321-m0vspi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279112/original/file-20190612-32321-m0vspi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279112/original/file-20190612-32321-m0vspi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279112/original/file-20190612-32321-m0vspi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279112/original/file-20190612-32321-m0vspi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=346&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279112/original/file-20190612-32321-m0vspi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=346&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279112/original/file-20190612-32321-m0vspi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=346&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A single suburban wildflower lawn – multiple plant species that can flower and seed, and high structural diversity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adam Bates</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Enjoying your wildflower lawn</h2>
<p>Wildflower lawns can have a variety of other surprising benefits, not least helping to slow global warming. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866716302692#fig0005">Some studies</a> have shown that lawns are actually sources of carbon dioxide due to the amount of energy needed to power the mower and manufacture “weed and feeds”. Reducing how often you mow, not applying “weed and feeds” and even using a manual lawn mower can change your lawn from a carbon source to a carbon sink. </p>
<p>Having taller vegetation in your lawn shades the ground, thereby reducing evaporation from the soil and <a href="https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20080107235924/http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Greenergarden/DG_064410">reducing the need for sprinklers and hosepipes</a>. Less mowing means less work to do and more time for you to enjoy watching the bees gathering nectar and pollen from your wildflower lawn. </p>
<p>Wildflower lawns, with spikes of colourful flowers and attendant bees, at least to my eyes, are far prettier than a carpet of grass, whether it’s stripy or not. Grass – especially when not in flower – is the most aesthetically boring part of a grassland. The species that have traditionally been disregarded as “weeds” are far more interesting.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/imagine-newsletter-researchers-think-of-a-world-with-climate-action-113443?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=Imagineheader1117482">Click here to subscribe to our climate action newsletter. Climate change is inevitable. Our response to it isn’t.</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117482/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam Bates does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Wildflowers, bees and butterflies – your lawn is a vibrant ecosystem waiting to be unleashed.
Adam Bates, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ecology, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/110269
2019-01-30T19:09:17Z
2019-01-30T19:09:17Z
Hidden women of history: Kathleen McArthur, the wildflower woman who took on Joh Bjelke-Petersen
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255999/original/file-20190129-108334-1b82gwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kathleen McArthur (left) and Judith Wright (right) wildflowering at Currimundi in 1961.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Alex Jelinek. Courtesy Alexandra Moreno</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>In this <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/hidden-women-of-history-64072">series</a>, we look at under-acknowledged women through the ages.</em></p>
<p>This year marks 50 years since the launch of one of Australia’s first major conservation battles, waged against Queensland’s ultra-conservative, pro-development premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. It was for a location few had ever heard of – Cooloola, an area that stretches from Noosa to Rainbow Beach, around 70 km north. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255994/original/file-20190129-108351-1f8ayqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255994/original/file-20190129-108351-1f8ayqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255994/original/file-20190129-108351-1f8ayqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255994/original/file-20190129-108351-1f8ayqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255994/original/file-20190129-108351-1f8ayqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255994/original/file-20190129-108351-1f8ayqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255994/original/file-20190129-108351-1f8ayqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255994/original/file-20190129-108351-1f8ayqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Portrait of Kathleen McArthur by Lina Bryans (1960).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Estate of the Artist. Courtesy Alexandra Moreno</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The unlikely leader of this campaign was a wildflower painter named Kathleen McArthur, who led the Caloundra branch of an environmental group the Australian newspaper called “the most militant of conservation cells”.</p>
<p>Kathleen, together with colleagues such as poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Wright">Judith Wright</a>, pioneered and honed activist strategies that are still instructive today. She understood art’s ability to prompt human emotion and marshal the public support required to bring about change. </p>
<p>From her homebase at Caloundra in Queensland, Kathleen created nation-wide awareness of the existence of the Cooloola region, which incorporates internationally significant high dunes, coloured sands, rainforest and wallum heathland habitats. It is now part of Great Sandy National Park, but at the time was under threat from sand mining and development.</p>
<p>A highlight of the Cooloola campaign was the distribution of 100,000 protest cards across Australia, with at least 15,000 of them sent to Queensland’s then Premier. Conservationist <a href="https://www.anbg.gov.au/biography/harrold-arthur-george.html">Arthur Harrold </a> described Kathleen as the “cunning mind” behind the cards. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255988/original/file-20190129-108338-14w4tlv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255988/original/file-20190129-108338-14w4tlv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255988/original/file-20190129-108338-14w4tlv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255988/original/file-20190129-108338-14w4tlv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255988/original/file-20190129-108338-14w4tlv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255988/original/file-20190129-108338-14w4tlv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255988/original/file-20190129-108338-14w4tlv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255988/original/file-20190129-108338-14w4tlv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Cooloola campaign postcard, 1969.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Abandoning convention</h2>
<p>Kathleen McArthur was born in 1915 into one of Brisbane’s leading families. Her parents were Daniel Evans of Queensland engineering company Evans Deakin, and Kathleen (Kit) Durack, of the Irish pastoralist family made famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_in_Grass_Castles">via the books</a> of cousin Mary Durack. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255987/original/file-20190129-108351-13mcezn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255987/original/file-20190129-108351-13mcezn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255987/original/file-20190129-108351-13mcezn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=928&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255987/original/file-20190129-108351-13mcezn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=928&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255987/original/file-20190129-108351-13mcezn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=928&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255987/original/file-20190129-108351-13mcezn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1166&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255987/original/file-20190129-108351-13mcezn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1166&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255987/original/file-20190129-108351-13mcezn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1166&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Christmas Bells by Kathleen McArthur.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy Hugh McArthur and the Fryer Library, University of Queensland</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kathleen had an early life of considerable privilege. However, she turned away from the conventional life of the society matron. After a well-publicised marriage to military man Malcolm McArthur, and three children, Kathleen eschewed life on military bases or the city. The family bought a modest home at Caloundra that she later named Midyim. </p>
<p>Discovering her husband’s unfaithful ways, Kathleen initiated divorce proceedings in 1947. By the 1950s, she was a single mother of three. She lost her parents to illness in 1951. </p>
<p>From then on, Kathleen forged a new life for herself, writing about and illustrating Queensland wildflowers. She began painting in part to help identify the wildflowers in her local environment, there being a limited range of books to assist with their identification. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255997/original/file-20190129-108342-1oxn20s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255997/original/file-20190129-108342-1oxn20s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255997/original/file-20190129-108342-1oxn20s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=789&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255997/original/file-20190129-108342-1oxn20s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=789&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255997/original/file-20190129-108342-1oxn20s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=789&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255997/original/file-20190129-108342-1oxn20s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=991&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255997/original/file-20190129-108342-1oxn20s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=991&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255997/original/file-20190129-108342-1oxn20s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=991&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Bush in Bloom by Kathleen McArthur (1982).</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 1953, Kathleen set herself the task of recording all the native plants in bloom across key locations of the Sunshine Coast region. This project fed into numerous publications including weekly newspaper columns and books. This year was also notable for a wildflowering expedition Kathleen took with her friend Judith Wright to the peak of Mt Tinbeerwah, which provided the spark of the idea for a national park at Cooloola.</p>
<p>Judith and Kathleen were among the founders of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, established in 1962, along with naturalist David Fleay and Jacaranda Press founder Brian Clouston. Brian offered to help their cause by publishing an educational wildlife magazine, which <a href="https://www.wildlife-australia.org/">still exists today</a>.</p>
<h2>The ‘Mistress of Midyim’</h2>
<p>A crisis point was reached for Cooloola in 1969, with mining applications pending for much of the region. Kathleen’s idea to use wildflower postcards activated the public campaign. She had been inspired by a US campaign utlising such cards and though others were sceptical, set about creating a postcard, a letter and a brochure that could be distributed far and wide. She also created wildflower cards and prints featuring her artwork, sold to help raise funds. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255995/original/file-20190129-39344-uq14gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255995/original/file-20190129-39344-uq14gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255995/original/file-20190129-39344-uq14gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255995/original/file-20190129-39344-uq14gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255995/original/file-20190129-39344-uq14gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255995/original/file-20190129-39344-uq14gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255995/original/file-20190129-39344-uq14gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255995/original/file-20190129-39344-uq14gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Just a few of the flood of letters Kathleen received during the Cooloola campaign, from the WPSQ collection held at the State Library of Queensland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy Susan Davis</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After the postcard distribution, hundreds of letters of support flowed back to the “Mistress of Midyim”. The campaign was further promoted through feature articles and letters to editors, talks, a documentary and capitalising on a web of allegiances. From early on, the Wildlife society formed relationships with scientists such as Dr Len Webb, from the CSIRO, who played a central role. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255996/original/file-20190129-108364-wi4j1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255996/original/file-20190129-108364-wi4j1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255996/original/file-20190129-108364-wi4j1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1097&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255996/original/file-20190129-108364-wi4j1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1097&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255996/original/file-20190129-108364-wi4j1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1097&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255996/original/file-20190129-108364-wi4j1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1378&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255996/original/file-20190129-108364-wi4j1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255996/original/file-20190129-108364-wi4j1d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1378&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Vanilla Lillies by Kathleen McArthur.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy Hugh McArthur</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kathleen and the society communicated regularly with politicians from all sides of the house. Her local MP Mike Ahern was a Country Party member but sympathetic to the conservation agenda. </p>
<p>On 1 December 1969, Bjelke-Peterson issued a press release stating that “substantial areas” of the Cooloola sand mass would be set aside as a National Park. But this was by no means the end of the campaign. Six weeks later, it was revealed that applications had been lodged for sand mining leases within some areas of Cooloola. This delayed formal action on the declaration of a national park and required the campaigners to change tactics. </p>
<p>In the meantime, the newly formed South Queensland Conservation Council, the Cooloola Committee and Dr Arthur Harrold took on the next phase of the battle. While Kathleen gave up leadership of the campaign, she did not leave the fray entirely. As key hurdles were encountered she would return to letter writing and other forms of maintaining the rage. </p>
<p>Eventually, 22 years after Kathleen and Judith first stood on the peak of Mt Tinbeerwah, the Queensland parliament gazetted the Cooloola National Park in December, 1975. However Kathleen’s role is rarely mentioned in most accounts of the Cooloola campaign.</p>
<h2>After Cooloola</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255992/original/file-20190129-108355-8i6spm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255992/original/file-20190129-108355-8i6spm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255992/original/file-20190129-108355-8i6spm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255992/original/file-20190129-108355-8i6spm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255992/original/file-20190129-108355-8i6spm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255992/original/file-20190129-108355-8i6spm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1132&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255992/original/file-20190129-108355-8i6spm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1132&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255992/original/file-20190129-108355-8i6spm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1132&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kathleen McArthur in the early 1960s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author supplied</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kathleen refocussed on her art, wrote a suite of books and established a series of monthly presentations called “lunch-hour theatre”. She remained involved with her local branch of the wildlife preservation society, prepared the submission to have <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumicestone_Passage">Pumicestone Passage</a> added to the register of the National Estate, and campaigned to protect beach dunes.
She also identified areas that should be protected as reserves, including one posthumously named Kathleen McArthur Conservation Reserve just north of Lake Currimundi. After a period of illness she died in 2000, the same year as her friend Judith Wright.</p>
<p>Because of the likes of Kathleen McArthur, today there are national parks, beaches protected by dunes rather than rock walls, and birds calling from humble heathlands where gentle wildflowers bloom. She is but one of a number of women from the period who could be “wild”, radical and difficult, but who was passionate about wildflowers and protecting our natural environments.</p>
<p><em>A ‘Wild/flower Women’ exhibition will be on display at the <a href="https://web.library.uq.edu.au/locations-hours/fryer-library">Fryer Library</a>, University of Queensland throughout 2019, with an online exhibition to be available via their website. A public lecture and performance will be staged in late March as a part of the Fryer Fellowship program.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110269/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Davis received funding from the Fryer Library, University of Queensland as part of being awarded the Fryer Fellowship for 2018. </span></em></p>
Wildflower artist Kathleen McArthur led one of Australia’s first major conservation battles, over Queensland’s Cooloola region. Yet this canny activist is rarely mentioned in most accounts of the campaign.
Susan Davis, Deputy Dean Research, Education and the Arts, CQUniversity Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/86768
2017-11-10T01:52:29Z
2017-11-10T01:52:29Z
Flowers, remembrance and the art of war
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194106/original/file-20171110-13296-gy6opb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Poppies at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/canberra-australia-march-18-2017-poppy-613609064">katatrix/shuttershock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Before 1914, flowers in everyday life spelt beauty, femininity and innocence; they were seen as part of women’s culture. But during the first world war, that changed. Men gathered posies of flowers on battlefields and dried them in honour of the dead, they turned to wild flowers as motifs for paintings and photographs, and they recognised in blue cornflowers and red poppies the fragility of life.</p>
<p>Historian Paul Fussell referred to the red poppy, <em>Papaver rhoeas</em>, as “an indispensable part of the symbolism” of WWI. When, on November 11, those who fought and died in WWI are commemorated, the sanguine colour of the red poppy, a flower that grew in profusion on Flanders Fields, is a vivid reminder to the living of the cost of sacrifice in war.</p>
<p>At the end of the conflict, artificial replicas of the Flanders poppy were sold in Allied countries to be worn in honour of the dead. Their resistance to decay became an embodiment of everlasting memory. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194084/original/file-20171109-13329-1x6k3gr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194084/original/file-20171109-13329-1x6k3gr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194084/original/file-20171109-13329-1x6k3gr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194084/original/file-20171109-13329-1x6k3gr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194084/original/file-20171109-13329-1x6k3gr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194084/original/file-20171109-13329-1x6k3gr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194084/original/file-20171109-13329-1x6k3gr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Artificial poppies left at the Waitati cenotaph in New Zealand (2009). The white poppy is used as a symbol of peace.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anzac_poppies.JPG">Nankai/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, the red poppy was not always adopted without criticism. After 1933, in opposition to the symbolism of it, peace ceremonies appropriated the <a href="http://www.ppu.org.uk/whitepoppy/index.html">white poppy</a>. Each flower expresses a different view on war: red embodies commemoration of sacrifice; white opposes political violence and remembers all war victims. </p>
<p>As living forms, as art, and as symbols, the wildflowers that soldiers encountered in WWI Europe help us negotiate the unimaginable enormity of war and deepen the solemnity of remembrance. </p>
<h2>‘We are the dead’</h2>
<p>Among the most affecting, but least talked about, Australian war paintings that officially commemorate and remember the fallen soldiers of the First World War, is George Lambert’s <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C176421">Gallipoli Wild Flowers</a> (1919). Painted while Lambert served as Official War Artist, the work is unusual for the absence of soldiers’ bodies shown in action or in death. Yet it alludes to both by the inclusion of an empty slouch hat and a cluster of battlefield wildflowers. At the centre of the array of blossoms is the Flanders poppy. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194068/original/file-20171109-13311-aljxpg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194068/original/file-20171109-13311-aljxpg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194068/original/file-20171109-13311-aljxpg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194068/original/file-20171109-13311-aljxpg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194068/original/file-20171109-13311-aljxpg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194068/original/file-20171109-13311-aljxpg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194068/original/file-20171109-13311-aljxpg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194068/original/file-20171109-13311-aljxpg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">George Lambert, ‘Gallipoli wild flowers’, oil (1919).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C176421">ART02838/Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The painting is a floral still-life. It exudes the melancholy of life stilled, and challenges popular conceptions that flowers are feminine, passive and beautiful. If the flowers in Lambert’s painting are beautiful, it is beauty tempered by the knowledge of human suffering. And they break with convention by relating to men, not women. </p>
<p>The dark centres of the poppies stare at us like the eyes of men who fought at Gallipoli. The message they communicate is the same one relayed by poppies in the lines of John McCrae’s mournful poem <a href="https://www.army.gov.au/our-history/traditions/in-flanders-fields">In Flanders Fields</a> (1915): “we are the dead”.</p>
<p>Other Australian artists deployed by the Australian War Memorial tried to render the same power, and the same symbolisms, as George Lambert’s wildflower still-life, although with less intensity. Will Longstaff, for example, painted <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C172234">Menin Gate at midnight</a> (1927), a monumental commemoration to men who were buried in unmarked graves on the Western Front in which the ghosts of the dead rise up among blood red poppies that grow in the same soil where their bodies decayed. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194070/original/file-20171109-13323-d1v46s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194070/original/file-20171109-13323-d1v46s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194070/original/file-20171109-13323-d1v46s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194070/original/file-20171109-13323-d1v46s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194070/original/file-20171109-13323-d1v46s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194070/original/file-20171109-13323-d1v46s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194070/original/file-20171109-13323-d1v46s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194070/original/file-20171109-13323-d1v46s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Will Longstaff, ‘Menin Gate at midnight’, oil on canvas (1927).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C172234">ART09807/Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Flowers and the battlefield</h2>
<p>On churned up war landscapes, masses of wildflowers covered <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/index.php/collection/C351426">derelict tanks</a> and blanketed the ground where the dead lay, juxtaposing cold metal and the destructive power of men with the organic growth and regenerative power of nature.</p>
<p>Such contrasts presented Frank Hurley, Australia’s Official War Photographer working in Flanders and Palestine from August to November 1917, with many of the war’s most powerful images. Hurley could not ignore the cruel irony of all that fragile beauty growing free in the midst of industrialised warfare, mass killing, and the corpses of the dead. </p>
<p>Hurley’s <a href="http://www.greatwar.nl/kleur/anemones.html">Lighthorseman gathering poppies, Palestine</a> (1918) is a rare colour photograph from the period. Hurley well understood the power of the poppy. He knew that for the image to become a national icon of comradeship, the flowers had to be coloured red because it is the poppy’s redness that made it the <a href="https://anzacday.org.au/the-poppy-is-for-sacrifice">official symbol</a> of sacrifice. Yet Hurley’s photo is pastoral, and in its vision of ideal life suggests the antithesis of war.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194074/original/file-20171109-13296-93tgbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194074/original/file-20171109-13296-93tgbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194074/original/file-20171109-13296-93tgbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194074/original/file-20171109-13296-93tgbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194074/original/file-20171109-13296-93tgbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194074/original/file-20171109-13296-93tgbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194074/original/file-20171109-13296-93tgbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194074/original/file-20171109-13296-93tgbc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Frank Hurley, Australian lighthorseman gathering poppies, colour photograph (c1918).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C979439">PO3631.046/Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It may also be that flowers have a particular power over our perception. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2928665?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">Elaine Scarry</a> argues that the high colouration of a flower’s face is more perfect for imagining and storing images to memory than the faces of people. Official and unofficial WWI records lend support to Scarry’s theory. </p>
<p>When <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/LIB34556">Cecil Malthus</a>, a New Zealand soldier at Gallipoli in 1915, found himself under attack, it was not the faces of the soldiers around him that he remembered, but the faces of self-sown poppies and daisies on the ground.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86768/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ann Elias does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The wildflowers that WWI soldiers encountered in Europe become symbols of remembrance and the fragility of life. The red poppy in particular is a powerful motif in Australian war art and photography.
Ann Elias, Associate Professor, Department of Art History, University of Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/68736
2016-11-15T19:06:47Z
2016-11-15T19:06:47Z
National parks are vital for protecting Australia’s endangered plants
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145715/original/image-20161114-9077-13dpcxu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are fewer than a thousand Graveside gorge wattles in Kakadu National Park.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Parks Australia</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Norfolk Island, nearly 1,500km from Australia’s east coast, is home to one of the country’s most endangered species, but you probably haven’t heard of it. <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=22035"><em>Clematis dubia</em></a>, a woody climber with white and hairy flowers, was known to number only 15 mature plants in 2003. </p>
<p>Once common on the island, this clematis illustrates what stands in the way of survival for many of our threatened plants. Around 84% of Australia’s native plants don’t occur anywhere else on Earth.</p>
<p>Threats to our native plants include ongoing habitat destruction, fire, invasive species, more frequent extreme weather events, and declining populations of the animals involved in their pollination and seed dispersal.</p>
<p><em>Clematis dubia</em> is lucky to call Norfolk Island National Park home. Our national parks are places of beauty and adventure for us to enjoy. They are also a haven for many species. </p>
<p>But life in a national park doesn’t guarantee a species’ survival. Recently <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/constraints-threatened-plant-recovery-commonwealth-national-parks">we assessed 41 endangered or significant plants</a> that occur in Australia’s six <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/node/21053">Commonwealth National Parks</a>, to identify ways to help these plants recover.</p>
<p>We found that many of these species don’t occur outside national parks, meaning the parks play a huge role in their conservation. Few of these species have been secured in living plant collections or seed banks, and very few are regularly monitored in the wild. </p>
<p>We have little information on either the impacts of threats or of species biology, which limits our ability to secure these species against further loss.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145723/original/image-20161114-9060-180k421.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145723/original/image-20161114-9060-180k421.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145723/original/image-20161114-9060-180k421.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145723/original/image-20161114-9060-180k421.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145723/original/image-20161114-9060-180k421.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145723/original/image-20161114-9060-180k421.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145723/original/image-20161114-9060-180k421.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145723/original/image-20161114-9060-180k421.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There were only 15 mature Clematis dubia on Norfolk Island known in 2003.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Parks Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Threats to plants</h2>
<p><em>Clematis dubia</em> lives in small and isolated populations. It faces many perils of modern life, like invasive weeds. We understand very little of its biology, including how its seeds are dispersed, how long it takes to start producing seed, and even how long it lives.</p>
<p>Another plant we assessed was the Graveside Gorge wattle (<a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=87480"><em>Acacia equisetifolia</em></a>) found in Kakadu National Park. A small shrub, less than a metre tall with small yellow flowers, this wattle is listed as critically endangered.</p>
<p>Fewer than a thousand plants are growing in only two locations about a kilometre apart in a restricted area of the park. There is little information on the basic biology of this shrub. </p>
<p>Like other acacias, Graveside Gorge wattle is probably pollinated by, and provides food for, a variety of different insect species. It probably only reproduces sexually and its seeds might be dispersed by ants and probably germinate after fires. The main threat to this species is fires, especially ones that are too frequent or too intense.</p>
<p>As a safeguard against extinction, <a href="http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/">Parks Australia</a> has collected seed from the Graveside Gorge wattle, which is now stored in the <a href="http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/living/seedbank/">National Seed Bank</a> at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145722/original/image-20161114-9073-1ufjwon.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145722/original/image-20161114-9073-1ufjwon.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145722/original/image-20161114-9073-1ufjwon.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145722/original/image-20161114-9073-1ufjwon.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145722/original/image-20161114-9073-1ufjwon.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145722/original/image-20161114-9073-1ufjwon.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145722/original/image-20161114-9073-1ufjwon.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145722/original/image-20161114-9073-1ufjwon.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hibiscus brennanii is a vulnerable shrub found in Kakadu National Park.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Parks Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145721/original/image-20161114-9081-nuab1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145721/original/image-20161114-9081-nuab1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145721/original/image-20161114-9081-nuab1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145721/original/image-20161114-9081-nuab1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145721/original/image-20161114-9081-nuab1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145721/original/image-20161114-9081-nuab1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145721/original/image-20161114-9081-nuab1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145721/original/image-20161114-9081-nuab1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jenny Hunter, Kakadu ranger, collecting Hibiscus brennanii seed for the seed bank.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Parks Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Seed banking can extend the longevity of seeds to hundreds of years, protecting a species from extinction and helping in its recovery should the worst happen. Germination trials at the National Seed Bank help unlock the often complex germination requirements of different species so that they can be regrown from seed. </p>
<p>As a result of trials with Graveside gorge wattle, the Gardens now has a living collection of this species. In Kakadu, Parks Australia is protecting the two wild populations by planning protective burning to create longer intervals between fires and reduce the likelihood of severe fires.</p>
<h2>Protecting plants</h2>
<p>Seed banking and living collections are two of the strategies we recommended to safeguard populations of threatened plant species. Some species may also benefit from establishing new populations outside national parks, similar to the management strategies used for vertebrate animals.</p>
<p>We also recommend surveying all endangered plant species in national parks that are not currently part of a formal monitoring program or that have not been surveyed within the past two years. </p>
<p>Finally, realising the gaps in our knowledge of the biology of and threats to many of Australia’s threatened plants, we recommend partnering with researchers and NGOs with restoration experience to draw on available scientific and on-the-ground knowledge.</p>
<p>And what of Norfolk Island’s endemic climbing clematis, <em>Clematis dubia</em>? Along with the low number of individuals, competition from weeds is a major threat to the survival of this species, so conservation efforts by Parks Australia have involved intensive weed control work, particularly to deal with the invasive guava plant.</p>
<p>Recent searches in likely habitat have revealed an additional 33 plants, a mix of adults and juveniles. Happily, new seedlings are now showing up in areas where guava has been removed, improving the future prospects for this species.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The report <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/constraints-threatened-plant-recovery-commonwealth-national-parks">Constraints to Threatened Plant Recovery in Commonwealth National Parks</a> was funded by the Australian Government through the Threatened Species Commissioner, Gregory Andrews. It was authored by researchers at the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, a joint initiative between Parks Australia’s Australian National Botanic Gardens and CSIRO.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/68736/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Linda Broadhurst receives funding from the Threatened Species Commissioner and the Australian Commonwealth Government. She is affiliated with the Australian Network for Plant Conservation. </span></em></p>
We know very little about Australia’s most threatened plants.
Linda Broadhurst, Director, Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, CSIRO
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/65240
2016-09-13T20:16:46Z
2016-09-13T20:16:46Z
People are ‘blind’ to plants, and that’s bad news for conservation
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137492/original/image-20160913-19222-xqcbls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sometimes plants are obvious, but often they slip under the radar</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wildflower image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Turn away from your computer screen for a moment and try to remember what you saw in the image below.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137463/original/image-20160913-19266-phtqn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137463/original/image-20160913-19266-phtqn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137463/original/image-20160913-19266-phtqn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137463/original/image-20160913-19266-phtqn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137463/original/image-20160913-19266-phtqn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137463/original/image-20160913-19266-phtqn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137463/original/image-20160913-19266-phtqn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137463/original/image-20160913-19266-phtqn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">All images from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>The image has an equal number of plants and animals, but chances are that you remembered more animals than plants. This bias in memory is part of a phenomenon known as “plant blindness”. Research shows that people are also generally <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.3660230504/full">more interested</a> in animals than plants, and find it <a href="http://www.lifescied.org/content/13/3/437.short">harder to detect</a> images of plants compared with images of animals. </p>
<p>Plant blindness is more than an interesting quirk of human perception. It impacts on our efforts to care for and understand plant species. <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/674103?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">Figures</a> from the United States show that while most federal endangered species (57%) are plants, less than 4% of money spent on threatened species is used to protect plants. Botanical education has been declared <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/10/plants-wild-plant-species-kew">under threat</a> in the UK.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.12738/abstract">recent essay</a>, Mung Balding and I argue that overcoming plant blindness requires more than plant education. Instead we need to help people connect with plants emotionally.</p>
<h2>Why does it happen?</h2>
<p>We aren’t sure why plant blindness occurs. <a href="http://www.botany.org/bsa/psb/2001/psb47-1.pdf">One theory</a> suggests that because plants generally grow close together, do not move and often blend together visually, they often go unnoticed when animals are present. </p>
<p>Another possibility is that we learn plant blindness. For example, biology textbooks give much less space to plants compared with animals, potentially leaving schoolchildren with the impression that plants don’t matter.</p>
<p>But we also know many societies have <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5fc7AQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Plants+as+persons:+a+philosophical+botany&ots=JoGXzGFV0v&sig=IetKO7EUP8jHF07GpbjkRsLIe0A#v=onepage&q=Plants%20as%20persons%3A%20a%20philosophical%20botany&f=false">strong bonds with plants</a>. Among some Aboriginal Australian, Native North American and Maori communities, plants are understood to be different from humans but also to share a common ancestry that brings kinship relationships of mutual responsibility.</p>
<p>Overall, research suggests that while plant blindness is common, it is not inevitable. Here are three strategies that we believe could make a difference. </p>
<h2>Identify with plants</h2>
<p>Plants can seem very different from humans. <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=CAq8BwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=The+value+of+life:+biological+diversity+and+human+society&ots=8_uSfmCdkX&sig=K7g7V6Q-FPLEMuc_stqnbZkQa4k#v=onepage&q=The%20value%20of%20life%3A%20biological%20diversity%20and%20human%20society&f=false">Research</a> has shown that animal conservation support is biased towards species that are most like humans.</p>
<p>Unlike humans and many other animals, plants don’t have faces, don’t usually move locations and don’t seem to have feelings. One way to start valuing plants is to notice ways that we actually are alike.</p>
<p>Science can help us see how plants have similarities with humans. Plants are alive, have sex, <a href="https://theconversation.com/heard-it-on-the-grapevine-the-mysterious-chatter-of-plants-6292">communicate</a> and take up food. Some young plants <a href="https://theconversation.com/plants-can-actually-take-care-of-their-offspring-heres-how-33048">share the root system</a> of their parent plant – a “protective” behaviour that many human parents will recognise.</p>
<p>Rituals are another way of identifying with plants. For example, for people living on the island of Nusa Penida near Bali, the coconut palm is an important plant. Early in a child’s life, the father will plant a tree for the child. The tree’s development and life span then parallels the child’s and in ceremonies it is clothed and presented with food.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137331/original/image-20160912-3793-f2p94s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137331/original/image-20160912-3793-f2p94s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137331/original/image-20160912-3793-f2p94s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137331/original/image-20160912-3793-f2p94s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137331/original/image-20160912-3793-f2p94s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137331/original/image-20160912-3793-f2p94s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137331/original/image-20160912-3793-f2p94s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137331/original/image-20160912-3793-f2p94s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coconut palms are an important part of ritual on some Indonesian islands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Coconut palm image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Empathy with plants</h2>
<p>Actively imagining the experiences of plants and animals is another way people can connect with plants. In a <a href="http://eab.sagepub.com/content/39/2/269.short">psychological experiment</a>, participants were shown images of either a dead bird on a beach, covered in oil, or a group of trees that had been cut down. </p>
<p>Half the participants were told to view the image objectively, while the rest were asked to imagine how the bird or tree felt. The researchers found that people who actively empathised with the bird or tree not only expressed greater concern but also donated more money to protecting the species.</p>
<p>Art, imagination and ritual can all help people to imaginatively empathise with plants. So too can tending plants, as one experiences the joys and sorrows of plant life and death.</p>
<h2>Make plants human</h2>
<p>A third – and more controversial – way to connect with plants is through anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism means attributing human characteristics to plants, like describing a drooping plant as sad, or a sunflower as turning its face toward the sun. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137328/original/image-20160912-3807-16k79xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137328/original/image-20160912-3807-16k79xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137328/original/image-20160912-3807-16k79xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137328/original/image-20160912-3807-16k79xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137328/original/image-20160912-3807-16k79xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137328/original/image-20160912-3807-16k79xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137328/original/image-20160912-3807-16k79xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137328/original/image-20160912-3807-16k79xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Facing the sun: these sunflowers look very happy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sunflower image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Anthropomorphism of animals is common in entertainment and conservation campaigns but rarely used for plants. Some writers consider anthropomorphism to be unhelpful: it can misdirect thinking about plants, or sentimentalise plants in ways that belittle them. But <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103113000292">experiments</a> show that making or reading anthropomorphic pictures and stories can also help people to empathise with nature and want to act to protect nature.</p>
<p>Want to test this out for yourself? Try a thought experiment by watching this 1932 animation from Walt Disney. The dancing, courting and fighting trees are rather bewildering, but do you feel a twinge of anxiety when the trees are threatened by fire, or relief as the woodland recovers?</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CWEzHE7wn7U?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Feeling anxious?</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Plant conservationists view plants as having value in their own right, so it might seem odd to suggest that we promote plant conservation by thinking about the ways plants are like humans. The strategies we suggest draw on <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027249441000006X">theory</a> that proposes that people are more likely to act in the interests of nature if we think about nature as being part of us. Appreciating our connections with plants may be the best way to begin respecting their amazing differences.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was written with Mung Balding, a graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Environment program.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65240/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kathryn Williams works in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, which offers education in horticulture and ecosystem science and management.She receives funding through the Australian Research Council, the National Environmental Science Program, the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, however the research reported here was unfunded. </span></em></p>
Plant blindness is more than an interesting quirk of human perception. It impacts on our efforts to care for and understand plant species.
Kathryn Williams, Associate Professor in environmental psychology and Director, Office for Environmental Programs, The University of Melbourne
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/57127
2016-05-17T07:19:09Z
2016-05-17T07:19:09Z
EcoCheck: Victoria’s flower-strewn western plains could be swamped by development
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122811/original/image-20160517-9464-epwdcv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Victoria's wildflowers: best enjoyed up close.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Our <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/ecocheck">EcoCheck</a> series takes the pulse of some of Australia’s most important ecosystems to find out if they’re in good health or on the wane.</em></p>
<p>When Europeans first saw Victoria’s native grasslands in the 1830s, they were struck by the vast beauty of the landscape, as well as its productive potential. </p>
<p>The explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/8486958?q&sort=holdings+desc&_=1463468212004&versionId=14286380">described the western Victorian plains</a> as “an open grassy country, extending as far as we could see … resembling a nobleman’s park on a gigantic scale”. His fellow pioneer John Batman, in 1835, <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/8331637?q&sort=holdings+desc&_=1463468329033&versionId=9602945+227150628">described</a> the grassy plains to the north and west of what is now Melbourne as “the most beautiful sheep pasturage I ever saw in my life”.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122409/original/image-20160513-16414-70gpmi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122409/original/image-20160513-16414-70gpmi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122409/original/image-20160513-16414-70gpmi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122409/original/image-20160513-16414-70gpmi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122409/original/image-20160513-16414-70gpmi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122409/original/image-20160513-16414-70gpmi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122409/original/image-20160513-16414-70gpmi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122409/original/image-20160513-16414-70gpmi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Victoria’s volcanic plain, home to a rich variety of wildflowers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AIBRA_6.1_Victorian_Volcanic_Plain.png">Hesperian/IBRA/Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The native temperate grasslands of southeastern Australia are a group of ecosystems defined mainly by the presence of dominant native grasses. Trees are either completely absent, or occur in very low numbers. </p>
<p>In Victoria, native grasslands can be found on the volcanic plains that stretch from Melbourne as far west as Hamilton. Despite their rather plain name, native grasslands are extraordinarily diverse, containing many species of wildflowers that grow between the tussocks of grasses. </p>
<p>It is possible to find <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=qe5hCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT113&ots=OsQZM6-WGA&sig=zumlYcCy8yYGSIPp78iIJIWeuCs#v=onepage&q&f=false">more than 25 different plant species</a> in a single square metre of native grassland, and the wildflowers produce dazzling displays of colour during spring.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/119213/original/image-20160419-5290-11kejf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/119213/original/image-20160419-5290-11kejf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/119213/original/image-20160419-5290-11kejf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119213/original/image-20160419-5290-11kejf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119213/original/image-20160419-5290-11kejf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119213/original/image-20160419-5290-11kejf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119213/original/image-20160419-5290-11kejf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/119213/original/image-20160419-5290-11kejf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Anything but plain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ryan Chisholm</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The animals that inhabit these grasslands are equally diverse and fascinating. The <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=1649">striped legless lizard</a>, <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=66727">grassland earless dragon</a> and <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=25234">golden sun moth</a> are three that live there today, although many others are now locally extinct. One can only imagine how impressive it would have been to see <a href="http://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/brolga">brolgas</a>, <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/40558/0">rufous bettongs</a> and <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=88020">eastern barred bandicoots</a> roaming, nesting and digging on these plains.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122410/original/image-20160513-16402-1x2xl2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122410/original/image-20160513-16402-1x2xl2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122410/original/image-20160513-16402-1x2xl2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122410/original/image-20160513-16402-1x2xl2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122410/original/image-20160513-16402-1x2xl2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122410/original/image-20160513-16402-1x2xl2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122410/original/image-20160513-16402-1x2xl2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122410/original/image-20160513-16402-1x2xl2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Grassland earless dragon.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACSIRO_ScienceImage_6859_Grassland_Earless_Dragon.jpg">John Wombey/CSIRO/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Native grasslands were a significant food source for Aboriginal people. They provided both meat (kangaroos and other grazing animals were attracted to the open grassy landscapes) and vegetables. </p>
<p>Many of the native <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forb">forb</a> plants produce energy-rich tubers or bulbs that can be eaten much like a potato. These made up a <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zu5hCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA5&dq=info:RIxM8mpbuzIJ:scholar.google.com&ots=fNzbX0fKCr&sig=wSXtVIzaV7mHrGt5qJSmUapR9yA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">large part of the diet</a> of Aboriginal people living in these areas. </p>
<p>Fire is critical to maintaining the diversity and health of native grasslands, and fire regimes used by Indigenous people are an important aspect of grassland management.</p>
<h2>Plains to pasture</h2>
<p>The story of Victoria’s native grasslands since European settlement is not a happy one. Grasslands offer extremely fertile land (by Australian standards, at least), which made them attractive for agriculture and grazing. Overgrazing by sheep and cattle, the addition of fertilisers to “improve” pastures, and changes to the frequency and extent of fires in the landscape led to a noticeable degradation of Victoria’s native grasslands by the early 20th century. </p>
<p>Since then, habitat loss and degradation from intensive grazing, cropping and – more recently – urbanisation have reduced the native grasslands of the Victorian volcanic plain to less than 1% of their original extent (as documented in the paper titled “Vegetation of the Victorian Volcanic Plain” available <a href="http://cedric.slv.vic.gov.au/view/action/nmets.do?DOCCHOICE=2535132.xml&dvs=1463468449110%7E629&locale=en_US&search_terms=&adjacency=&VIEWER_URL=/view/action/nmets.do?&DELIVERY_RULE_ID=4&divType=&usePid1=true&usePid2=true">here</a>).</p>
<p>Land clearing for urban development continues to pose a major threat to Victoria’s native grasslands. Many remnants exist in and around Melbourne’s key urban growth corridors. </p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/environment-and-wildlife/biodiversity/melbourne-strategic-assessment/protection-and-management-of-conservation-areas#westerngrasslandreserves">15,000-hectare grassland reserve</a> is planned to the west of the city to offset the losses that will occur as Melbourne grows. This is an exciting prospect – such a large reserve would provide an opportunity to showcase this threatened ecosystem on a landscape-wide scale. </p>
<p>But successful implementation of this reserve requires significant investment in restoration and management, and only time will tell whether it truly compensates for the inevitable losses elsewhere. </p>
<h2>Saving what remains</h2>
<p>A major challenge for the conservation of Victoria’s native grasslands is to maintain the patches that remain. These remnants, nestled in agricultural and urban landscapes, are often small and fragmented, and are subject to threats such as weed invasion and broad-scale use of herbicides and fertilisers. </p>
<p>Without regular fires or some other form of biomass removal, the native grasses grow too big and smother the wildflowers. Over time, grasslands can lose their species diversity, and with it the intricate beauty of their varied wildflowers. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122678/original/image-20160516-15912-s1i949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122678/original/image-20160516-15912-s1i949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122678/original/image-20160516-15912-s1i949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122678/original/image-20160516-15912-s1i949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122678/original/image-20160516-15912-s1i949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122678/original/image-20160516-15912-s1i949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122678/original/image-20160516-15912-s1i949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122678/original/image-20160516-15912-s1i949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Redreaming the Plain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Digital composite created for Imagine The Future (ITF) Inc. by Csaba Szamosy, 1996, from photographs by James Ross (Victorian National Parks Association), Mike Martin (Victoria University), Tom Wheller (VNPA), Vanessa Craigee (Department of Natural Resources and Environment), John Seebeck (NRE) and Ian McCann (courtesy NRE/McCann Collection), and based on a concept by Merrill Findlay for ITF.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On the face of it, the prognosis for these grasslands does not look great. They are certainly one of Australia’s most endangered ecosystems, and their conservation must necessarily occur alongside human-dominated land uses. This brings social challenges as well as ecological ones. </p>
<p>Native grasslands suffer from a public relations problem. The need for regular fires is not always well aligned with objectives for human land uses. What’s more, all those wildflowers only appear in season, and even then their beauty is only really evident at close quarters. </p>
<p>But grasslands have a few tricks up their sleeves. First, high-quality grasslands can be maintained in relatively small patches. There are some great examples around Melbourne, including the <a href="http://www.hume.vic.gov.au/Leisure_Tourism/Parks_Reserves/Parks_Reserves_in_Hume/Evans_Street_Wildflower_Grassland">Evans Street Native Grassland</a>, which covers just 4 hectares. But as tiny as they are, these reserves can be <a href="http://arcue.botany.unimelb.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/MelbournesNativeGrasslands-2015-05-01-Web.pdf">just as diverse as larger grassland remnants</a>. </p>
<p>Second, native grasslands can be surprisingly resilient, in both urban and agricultural landscapes. A case in point is the tiny grassland at the Watergardens shopping centre northwest of Melbourne, which has been maintained despite being completely surrounded by a car park. Several high-quality grasslands in pastoral areas have been maintained for decades under grazing at low stocking rates. </p>
<p>Third, native grasslands represent a great opportunity to engage urban residents with nature in cities. Many beautiful remnants exist in some of Melbourne’s newest suburbs. Some already benefit from the efforts of dedicated community groups, while others are still waiting to be discovered.</p>
<p>Grasslands in other parts of the world, such as North America’s prairies or the African savannah, are viewed with romanticism and awe. In the Australian consciousness, grasslands take a back seat to the mythical outback. But the future of the grasslands of southeastern Victoria may well depend on our capacity to generate the same public profile for this truly remarkable but critically endangered ecosystem. </p>
<p><em>Are you a researcher who studies an iconic Australian ecosystem and would like to give it an EcoCheck? <a href="mailto:michael.hopkin@theconversation.edu.au">Get in touch</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57127/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Georgia Garrard is supported by funding from the National Environmental Science Programme's Threatened Species Recovery Hub. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Bekessy receives funding from the Australian Research Council and through the National Environment Science Programme's, Threatened Species and Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hubs. </span></em></p>
Victoria’s volcanic plains offer fertile ground for grasslands teeming with wildflowers. But that same fertility has also made the plains a tempting target for grazers and growers, and developers too.
Georgia Garrard, Research fellow, Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group, RMIT University
Sarah Bekessy, Associate professor, RMIT University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/31167
2014-09-04T05:05:19Z
2014-09-04T05:05:19Z
Drought and fire threaten WA’s famous spring wildflowers
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58108/original/6jgyqf9f-1409721650.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=21%2C0%2C4602%2C3087&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Annual show: each spring, thousands of people make the road trip north from Perth to see the wildflowers.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Spring has sprung. This time of year is peak wildflower season in the area around Perth, and the display is a major tourism draw card. People flock to places like <a href="http://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/lesueur">Lesueur National Park</a> and the <a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCUQFjAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dec.wa.gov.au%2Fpdf%2Fscience%2Fbio_audit%2Fgeraldton_sandplains03_p293-313.pdf&ei=97MGVPeSBNfkuQTXxYKYCA&usg=AFQjCNHJ9cn0_o1t8Z-1kEYoinODCY5OHw&sig2=6r729zBrYJ6P0zFArBp1cw">Eneabba sandplain</a> in search of stunning displays of flowers and vistas that change from yellow to white to pink over the spring months. </p>
<p>But <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.12306/abstract">our new research</a>, published in the Journal of Ecology, shows that the region’s rapidly drying climate is making it more difficult for these beautiful landscapes to withstand bushfires, and some wildflower species may die out entirely.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58109/original/945935wk-1409721755.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58109/original/945935wk-1409721755.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58109/original/945935wk-1409721755.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58109/original/945935wk-1409721755.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58109/original/945935wk-1409721755.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58109/original/945935wk-1409721755.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58109/original/945935wk-1409721755.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58109/original/945935wk-1409721755.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fire is a part of life in these landscapes - but a drier climate makes it harder for plants to recover.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fire in these landscapes is a dramatic affair – flames move through the entire canopy, killing virtually all of the above-ground portions of the shrubs and herbs. But within a couple of growing seasons, the vegetation returns and often flowers prolifically. </p>
<p>Seasoned veterans and locals know that the quality of the flowers is intimately connected not only to fire but also to rainfall. But it wasn’t clear exactly how rainfall levels influence the speed at which the flowers bounce back.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58112/original/8z7y5763-1409721832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58112/original/8z7y5763-1409721832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58112/original/8z7y5763-1409721832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58112/original/8z7y5763-1409721832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58112/original/8z7y5763-1409721832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58112/original/8z7y5763-1409721832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58112/original/8z7y5763-1409721832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58112/original/8z7y5763-1409721832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Joe Fontaine working in a recently burnt landscape.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We lit a series of experimental fires, with the help of local fire managers, in shrublands near <a href="https://www.google.com.au/maps/preview?ie=UTF-8&fb=1&gl=au&sll=-29.8159549,115.2649897&sspn=7.3527233,11.3292644&q=Eneabba+WA&ei=goAGVJS0CZLmuQSVmYLICg&ved=0CJ0BEPIBMAs">Eneabba</a>. We found a very strong link between fire, climate, and how plants regenerate. Our study spanned four years that received between 66% and 100% of historic rainfall levels, allowing us to assess the effects of dry versus average rainfall years on vegetation recovery.</p>
<p>Species that regenerate from seed tend only to germinate after a fire. This is when conditions are best – the soil has more nutrients and there is less competition with other plants. The rub is that it is a roll of the dice for seedlings; if the fire is followed by a dry winter, few new seedlings survive.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58113/original/v2z6dg9r-1409721909.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58113/original/v2z6dg9r-1409721909.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58113/original/v2z6dg9r-1409721909.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58113/original/v2z6dg9r-1409721909.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58113/original/v2z6dg9r-1409721909.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58113/original/v2z6dg9r-1409721909.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58113/original/v2z6dg9r-1409721909.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58113/original/v2z6dg9r-1409721909.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Shoots of recovery: plants that regenerate from seed take longer, on average, to bounce back from fires when rainfall is scarce the following winter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This seems a fairly obvious result: less winter rain equals fewer surviving seedlings. But the implications are profound. We found that a 20% reduction in rainfall means that plants needed 50% more time between fires to rebound to stable population levels – taking, for example, an average of 15 years to recover instead of just 10.</p>
<p>Given that rainfall in the region has already declined by 10-15% and projections are for <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/341/6145/486.short">20-40% more decline by 2100</a>, we may be seeing fewer and fewer flowers in the future, and some species may disappear altogether. </p>
<p>There are implications for animals too. Species such as honey possums, which rely on nectar from flowers, may struggle. Many reptiles <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0034448#pone-0034448-g006">prefer habitats with long fire-free periods</a>, which are likely to become even more scarce. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58114/original/w7mc339h-1409722024.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58114/original/w7mc339h-1409722024.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58114/original/w7mc339h-1409722024.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58114/original/w7mc339h-1409722024.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58114/original/w7mc339h-1409722024.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58114/original/w7mc339h-1409722024.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58114/original/w7mc339h-1409722024.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/58114/original/w7mc339h-1409722024.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wildflowers could benefit from less intensive fire management - although this could conflict with the growing need to manage bushfire risks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our work suggests that these shrublands may need less fire, not more, for their conservation. Local managers may need to make their prescribed burning program less frequent or more flexible, perhaps focusing on average to wet years and avoiding dry ones. But we realise that this advice is at odds with the growing need to safeguard against bushfire risk as the region’s climate warms and dries.</p>
<p>The wildflowers of WA are one of the state’s crown jewels, and we hope to maintain these stunning displays into the future. It would be a real shame if spectacular wildflower seasons stopped being an annual event.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31167/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joe Fontaine receives funding from Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife and Department of Fire and Emergency Services.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Neal Enright has received funding from the Australian Research Council and the Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife for the research reported here.</span></em></p>
Spring has sprung. This time of year is peak wildflower season in the area around Perth, and the display is a major tourism draw card. People flock to places like Lesueur National Park and the Eneabba…
Joe Fontaine, Lecturer, Environmental Science, Murdoch University
Neal Enright, Professor in Plant Ecology, Murdoch University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.