August 2024 - Magazine - Page 24
PLANTING
FOR
POLLINATORS
Gardening for
Butterflies
DENISE WHITTLE
A
t least 80 percent of
the world’s crop species
require pollination to set
seed. An estimated one
out of every three bites of
food comes to us through
the work of pollinators. 90 percent of all flowering
plants rely on pollinators for pollination. Since the
1940s, 97 percent of wildflower meadows in the UK
have been destroyed, along with much downland,
ancient woodland and peatbogs. Many pollinator
species are in serious decline, as their countryside
habitat has been lost to industrial and housing
developments,
In the UK our gardens cover two million acres of land – that’s
15 million gardens, each of which can be a mini nature reserve
for butterflies and moths, cared for by gardeners.
SAVING
BUTTERFLIES,
Bees tend to stick with one type of flower
throughout a day of feeding; therefore, plant your
bee-friendly flowers in large clumps. This will give
them a big area in which to feed.
24
AND
OUR
ENVIRONMENT
Top 10 nectar plants
for butterflies
1. Buddleia
2. Ice Plant
3. Lavender
4. Michaelmas Daisy
5. Oregano
6. Aubretia
7. Red Valerian
8. French Marigold
9. Hebe
10. Candytuft.
Gardening for Butterflies
butterfly-conservation.org
In the UK gardens cover two million acres of land
– that’s 15 million gardens, an area bigger than all
of the country’s nature reserves combined, each of
which can be a mini nature reserve for butterflies,
moths and other pollinators, cared for by gardeners.
Plant varieties that have a mixture
of deep and shallow flower cups
to accommodate different species
of bee who have different length
tongues.
MOTHS
If you want
butterflies in
your garden,
make room for
the plants that
they lay their
eggs on and
which feed the
caterpillars and
larvae such as
nettles, garlic
mustard and
verbascum.
Did you know?
• A bee can visit up to
1000 flowers every day
• Bees never sleep
• A bee’s wings in flight
beat up to 180 times
per minute
• Honey bees have 5 eyes
and can see ultra-violet
light
• Rhododendrons are
toxic to bees
The RHS has produced a list of the 100 best plants for
pollinators. It promotes a wide range
of native and non-native plants and
advises to ensure flowers all year
round, avoiding plants with double or
multipetalled flowers. The RHS also
advocates providing nest sites for wild
bees and never using pesticides on
plants in flower.
rhs.org.uk/plantsforpollinators.
#wildaboutgardens
Your
wild bee
action pack
Get your garden buzzing for bees
Find more information at
Bees are the principal
pollinators of flowering
plants. The Wild Bee
action pack produced by
the Wildlife Trust is full of
facts about bees and how
to make your garden bee
friendly. This and packs
on nurturing other forms
of wildlife in the garden
can be downloaded from
wildaboutgardens.org.uk.
Recent studies have shown that moths
play a vital role as overnight pollinators
and complement the work of daytime
pollinators helping to keep plant
populations diverse and abundant.
Many popular varieties of flowers
have been hybridised for features
that benefit gardeners – such
as disease resistance, enhanced
colour, flower size and bigger or
longer blooms. The result of this
is a reduction in the nectar and
pollen produced by these hybrids.
Consider planting pollen and
nectar rich perennials which have
a longer flowering season and
require less maintenance.
Bees don’t see red colors well.
Choosing blue, white, and purple
flowers helps to attract most bees.
wildaboutgardens.org.uk
Amanda Wells
25