Wildflower meadows—lush fields brimming with colour, busy with bees and butterflies—are essential habitats that form a fundamental feature of our British countryside. They support all manner of life and diversity, and are a joy to behold. But due to increasing urbanisation and intensive farming, they’ve been on the decline for decades.
Sadly, we’ve lost 97% of our wildflower meadows since the 1930s. As a result, our bee, butterfly and moth numbers have dropped significantly, with knock-on effects throughout the entire ecosystem.
The good news is that all is not lost. While we can’t plant huge meadows in our towns and cities, we can all grow vibrant wildflowers in our gardens and reap the benefits!
What are the benefits of planting wildflowers?
- Increased biodioversity
- Fight climate change
- Reduced risk of flooding
- Important medicines
- Improved wellbeing
- Low-maintenance colour for your garden
Wildflowers increase biodiversity
Wildflowers provide food for a wide variety of lifeforms: leaves and nectar for insects in the summer, and then seeds for birds and small mammals in winter.
They also provide shelter for insects. In return, pollinators such as bees and butterflies distribute wildflower pollen, allowing the wildflowers to propagate.
This additionally benefits any fruits or vegetables you may be growing in your garden. Pollinators drawn in by the wildflowers will be sure to do their part in helping your crops grow, while also gobbling up pests such as aphids!
Wildflowers can help fight climate change
Soil can lock up carbon in much the same way as trees.
This reduces the amount of greenhouse gases building in the atmosphere, which can help counteract climate change.
Wildflowers can help soak up flooding
The complex root systems of established wildflowers can soak up excess water from the soil, helping to reduce the risk of flooding and preventing the loss of nutrients.
Wildflowers provide us with important medicines
We tend to think of plants with medicinal properties as a rather exotic thing, only to be found in far-flung locations. But medicinal plants are found everywhere. Foxgloves, for example, contain a compound that has been used to treat congestive heart failure.
Cultivating wildflowers helps to preserve them for future generations who may find currently undiscovered medicinal properties in these helpful little plants.
Wildflowers are excellent for your wellbeing
Green spaces are important for improving our mental health. In the modern world of screens, social media and urbanisation, even a small patch of your own wild green space can be the perfect antidote when you need to switch off from the fast-paced stressors of 21st century living.
Wildflowers add low-maintenance colour to your outdoor space
For just a little effort, wildflowers will reward you year after year with an array of colourful flowers while also supporting your local ecosystem.
Here at Really Wild Bird Food, we offer a wide array of wildflower seed mixes at very reasonable prices. Click the link below to shop now!
Buy Wildflower Seeds
FURTHER READING: How & When to Plant Wildflower Seeds
