How much difference does planting for pollinators really make? Barbara Zajdel and colleagues investigated whether small planted wildflower patches in cities could help support pollinating insects like bees and butterflies. They compared two types of meadows in Warsaw, Poland: natural meadows covering 0.25-2.13 hectares and smaller planted wildflower meadows of 0.02-0.27 hectares. That’s the equivalent of just 10 × 20 metres at the low end.
Despite being up to 10 times smaller, planted meadows supported similar overall numbers of bee and hoverfly species as natural meadows – meaning they were actually more effective per unit of area. However, butterflies showed different patterns. While natural meadows had 52 butterfly species, planted meadows had 34 species and the absolute numbers of butterflies were lower. The research found butterfly numbers were linked to meadow size.
While butterfly diversity was lower in planted meadows, they still supported some rare species like Large Copper (Lycaena dispar) and Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) even in city centres, showing even small spaces provide refuge for sensitive species in urban areas. The key seems to be the plants. Both types of meadows contained similar varieties of flowering plants that pollinators rely on for food, confirming many pollinator species will find and use them, even in urban settings.
As cities grow, natural habitats for pollinators are being lost at an alarming rate. Against this threat, urban meadows offer a promising solution. In Warsaw, there are even “meadow ATMs” providing free wildflower seeds to residents who want to create their own pollinator patches. These initiatives are particularly valuable because the seed mixes typically contain native plant species, which are especially good at supporting local pollinator populations.
Zajdel Barbara, Dylewski Łukasz, Jojczyk Agata, Weronika Banaszak-Cibicka, Kucharska Kornelia, Borański Mikołaj, & Gąbka Jakub. 2024. Sown wildflower meadows: Can they replace natural meadows in urban spaces for bees, butterflies and hoverflies? Ecological Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13396 ($)
