Beyond the exceptions of snowdrops, bluebells, and a few other breakaway stars, wildflowers usually don’t receive much attention. This is perhaps because they aren’t the showiest plants, generally falling more into the category of understated beauty. However, wildflowers deserve some appreciation for their essential role in supporting biodiversity. They also have great names, like goatsbeard, nipplewort, and devil’s-bit scabious, just to name a few.
Unfortunately, wildflowers are increasingly uncommon, as in the last century, there has been a 97% loss of wildflower meadows in the UK. Wildflower populations are therefore pushed to fragmented areas of grassland or woodland, or quite commonly, to the verges of roads where almost half of the UK’s 720 species reside. Wildflowers are immensely important for invertebrate life (the common bird’s-foot trefoil alone is food for 160 insect species), meaning that they have a great impact on biodiversity as a whole.
There has been a 97% loss of wildflower meadows in the UK.
Pollinators are particularly impacted by the sparsity of wildflower habitats, as seen in the 24% decrease in pollinator distribution between 1980 and 2022, with butterflies suffering an 80% decrease in distribution and/or abundance since 1976. Particularly specialised species suffer the most acutely. For example, the heath fritillary butterfly requires common cow-wheat for its larva, and is now restricted to a few sites containing populations of just a couple hundred butterflies.
Fortunately, several organisations are making concerted efforts to protect wildflowers in the UK. Devon County Council has introduced strict policies to manage wildflower populations on the verges of roads, only cutting grass when it is necessary for the safety of road users. This ensures that wildflowers can grow and go to seed through the spring, and are only cut once this process is complete during the summer. This is a policy anyone with a lawn can emulate by participating in No Mow May, allowing wildflowers in gardens and communal spaces to get an advantage before summer.
[B]y participating in No Mow May, [this allows] wildflowers in gardens and communal spaces to get an advantage before summer.
To improve habitats for wildflowers and to widen their distribution, Exeter University has been working with Cornwall Council, landowners, and businesses. So far, this collaborative effort has improved 7637 hectares of land for pollinators and created a service to link landowners of wildflower rich habitats with those who want to protect them. All of this has helped spread awareness to businesses and landowners around practices that support wildflowers. With this sort of work, wildflowers, and the wildlife they support, stand a chance at a better future.
