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The importance of
wildflowers in the countryside Few of us can have failed to
notice radical changes in our countryside over recent years. These are
things we read about in our newspapers and hear about on the news,
almost on a weekly basis. These changes include many diverse factors
especially loss of habitat, removal of hedgerows, building of roads
and houses and the implementation of farming practices very different
from those employed a hundred or even fifty years ago. However these
changes are viewed, either as progress or as backward steps, the
results have been that much of our countryside has been radically
altered. These changes have seriously depleted the wealth of native
wildflowers we once saw around us and our native wildlife has been
acutely affected as a result. The decline of many bird species, the
loss of bumblebees and lack of butterflies and other insects, have all
been linked to these changes.
How does this
relate to our gardens?
Encouraging
wildlife into gardens has always been a priority for a minority of
people. Over the last thirty years, this way of managing gardens has
become much more main stream and now many people would say that to a
greater or lesser extent, they consider and make provision for the
wildlife in their gardens. Many conservation organisations now
advocate wildlife gardening as a means of helping to compensate for
habitat loss. Figures show that some species, including amphibians
such as frogs and toads, rely to a large extent on garden habitats (in
this case garden ponds) for their continued survival, as their wild
habitats continue to disappear. Wildlife gardening really can make a
difference. It is unlikely that rare species are protected from
extinction by the enlightened gardeners who welcome wildlife, but it
is certain that many species of invertebrates, birds, mammals,
amphibians and reptiles can comfortably find shelter and food in our
gardens when their requirements are catered for. This means growing
the plants that they depend on, and managing our gardens in a way that
is sympathetic to the sometimes complicated life cycles of our native
creatures. A little knowledge about our native wildlife can go a long
way towards helping it.
One very
positive and important thing that we can do to ensure that wildlife
visits our gardens, or even takes up residence, is to grow some native
wild plants. This includes not just the wildflowers we are talking
about here, but also wild trees and shrubs, which are covered
elsewhere on this website. But how can growing wild plants attract a
hedgehog or a frog to a garden? In order to understand this concept
we have to take a closer look at the ecology of gardens and the ‘food
chain’ that exists there.
Garden food
chain
Every garden, no matter how devoid of vegetation, will contain a large
number of invertebrates. This is a group of animals that includes the
insects (bees, butterflies, beetles etc.), molluscs (slugs and
snails), spiders, earthworms, and several other groups of creature
that we may easily overlook. They will exist in the soil, in or under
dead wood, in the compost heap, tucked under almost every leaf of
every plant, or they could simply be flying about in the air. These
small animals form the backbone upon which virtually all our other
garden wildlife depends, either directly or indirectly. They are the
focus around which everything else revolves. Invertebrates provide
food for just about anything that might visit our gardens, from foxes
and badgers (which eat a lot of earthworms), to green woodpeckers
(feeding on ants). It is really quite simple: no ants in your garden
means that you are unlikely to regularly see a green woodpecker – a
gorgeous bird that anyone would be delighted to have visiting their
garden. The importance of these small invertebrate creatures, which
are so vital to the garden food chain, cannot be emphasised enough.
If we are interested in helping wildlife, our task as gardeners is to
encourage as many of these invertebrates as we can to inhabit our
plots. If we are successful in that, everything else, over time,
follows naturally.
So, how do
we get these ‘mini-beasts’ to take up residence?
There are many techniques that we can employ, and a general wildlife
gardening book will outline these. But the one really important thing
we can do is include native plants. Our mini-beasts, over time, have
evolved to depend upon our native wild plants for food or shelter.
They are used to them, they are adapted to the chemicals they contain,
they are attracted to their scent. Many of these plant-insect
associations are extremely complicated but others are very simple.
For example, the small tortoiseshell butterfly will only lay her eggs
on a nettle leaf. She knows it by its scent and seeks it out
specifically for this purpose – it is the only plant her caterpillars
will eat. This interaction of plants and invertebrates is the
natural way of things, and something we can use to our advantage when
deciding what to plant in our gardens if we want to attract wildlife.
What is a
wildflower?
A wildflower is a British native plant – a species that has evolved
over time alongside our animal wildlife. This could exclude
some species, for example corncockle, which most people would assume
is a native but is an introduced wildflower. It was probably brought
to our shores by the Romans, along with crop seeds, long enough ago
for it to become an important part of our farmland flora, and then to
disappear again! This does not mean that it is not a beautiful
addition to a garden or that it is not valuable if you wish to attract
wildlife. It simply means that it is not technically a British
native but you will still find it recommended on some of the pages
here.
What are ‘naturalised’
wildflowers?
These are species that have usually escaped from garden situations to
establish themselves in the countryside. Many of these we have
happily accepted and plants as familiar as broad-leaved everlasting
pea, evening primrose and (possibly) snowdrop are all examples. Many
naturalised plants are harmless and even a useful addition to our
native flora, but others cause huge problems, for instance Himalayan
balsam and Japanese knotweed. They may even threaten our own native
flora and fauna, so are best avoided in our gardens. Another
anomaly to mention here is the wildflower in an unfamiliar colour.
Colour variation in wildflowers, for example the white foxglove or
pink violet, is a relatively common and naturally occurring
phenomenon. These are really useful additions to any wildlife garden.
Where can we
grow them?
There are places in any garden, however small, where these plants so
important to our native wildlife, can be grown. There is a native
wildflower for every situation, no matter how dry, wet, shady or
hot. Other pages on this website will help you to choose the best for
your garden.
Growing
wildflowers is one of the best ways, but not the only way, of
attracting wildlife to your garden. So include plenty of
wildflowers and wild grasses if you can and you will not only be
providing pollen and nectar for local bees and butterflies, but
encouraging wildlife to breed and make a home in your garden.
Suppliers
Emorsgate
Seeds has a wide range of native wildflower seeds.
You can buy Wildflower
Gardening by Jenny Steel
here
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