Research
also identifies pollinators’ favourite flowers, including brambles, buttercups,
dandelions, lavender and borage
Damian
CarringtonEnvironment editor
Mon 14
Jan 2019 16.00 GMTLast modified on Mon 14 Jan
2019 21.00 GMT
Allotments,
weedy corners and fancy gardens are all urban havens for bees and other
pollinators, a study has found.
The
widespread decline of bees resulting from the loss of wild areas and
pesticide use has caused great concern in recent years,
but towns and cities have been suggested as potential sanctuaries.
The first
research to examine all types of land use in cities has identified pollinators’
favourite places and flowers, many of which are often considered weeds. A team
of more than 50 people spent two years examining pollinators and plants in Bristol,
Edinburgh, Leeds and Reading.
The
results enabled them to work out the best ways to support a rich mix of
pollinator species that will be resilient to climate change and other
challenges. The best strategy is increasing the number of allotments, the
report says. Planting preferred flowers in gardens also helps, as does mowing
grass in public parks less frequently, allowing flowers to bloom.
Allotments
are particularly good places for pollinators because they provide a mix of
fruit and vegetable flowers, plus weedy corners full of native plants.
“Allotments are incredibly important at a city level, despite their small
area,” said Katherine Baldock at the University of Bristol, who led the
research. “They are a good place for pollinators to hang out and provide a
win-win situation, as they are also good for food growing and for people’s
health.”
Posts
