Food for pollinators: quantifying the nectar and pollen resources of urban flower meadows

Planted meadows are increasingly used to improve the biodiversity and aesthetic amenity value of urban areas. Although many ‘pollinator-friendly’ seed mixes are available, the floral resources these provide to flower-visiting insects, and how these change through time, are largely unknown. Such data are necessary to compare the resources provided by alternative meadow seed mixes to each other and to other flowering habitats. We used quantitative surveys of over 2 million flowers to estimate the nectar and pollen resources offered by two exemplar commercial seed mixes (one annual, one perennial) and associated weeds grown as 300m2 meadows across four UK cities, sampled at six time points between May and September 2013. Nectar sugar and pollen rewards per flower varied widely across 65 species surveyed, with native British weed species (including dandelion, Taraxacum agg.) contributing the top five nectar producers and two of the top ten pollen producers. Seed mix species yielding the highest rewards per flower included Leontodon hispidus, Centaurea cyanus and C. nigra for nectar, and Papaver rhoeas, Eschscholzia californica and Malva moschata for pollen. Perennial meadows produced up to 20x more nectar and up to 6x more pollen than annual meadows, which in turn produced far more than amenity grassland controls. Perennial meadows produced resources earlier in the year than annual meadows, but both seed mixes delivered very low resource levels early in the year and these were provided almost entirely by native weeds. Pollen volume per flower is well predicted statistically by floral morphology, and nectar sugar mass and pollen volume per unit area are correlated with flower counts, raising the possibility that resource levels can be estimated for species or habitats where they cannot be measured directly. Our approach does not incorporate resource quality information (for example, pollen protein or essential amino acid content), but can easily do so when suitable data exist. Our approach should inform the design of new seed mixes to ensure continuity in floral resource availability throughout the year, and to identify suitable species to fill resource gaps in established mixes

Pollinator Habitat on the University of Richmond Campus: Assessing the Success of Pollinator Meadows in the Gambles Mill Eco-Corridor

Globally, many insect pollinator populations are declining in response to anthropogenic harms including habitat loss due to land-use change and urbanization, climate change, increasing pesticide use, invasive species introductions, and increased pathogen transmission. In order to protect these insects, and the benefits they provide through pollination, habitat must be protected. Much of the effort to protect insect pollinator habitat is occurring in urban areas, where pollinators may struggle to find the resources they need to survive. The purpose of this study was to assess the success of three pollinator meadows created within the Gambles Mill Eco-Corridor (Eco-Corridor) on the University of Richmond (UR) campus in Richmond, VA. These meadows were designed to provide habitat to insect pollinators as part of UR’s recertification process as a Bee City USA certified Bee Campus. In order to assess the quality of habitat provided by these meadows, they were compared to three other sites on campus containing managed flower beds. At each site, five 1x1 meter quadrats were laid and the percent ground cover, individual number of plants, number of plant species, and presence of pollinators within each quadrat were recorded. Each presumed plant species was photographed and later identified, and its nativity to the area was noted. Results of these surveys suggest that the pollinator meadows do provide better habitat for insect pollinators than managed flower beds on campus. This information may be used to suggest to the campus Landscape Services Department ways to improve managed flower beds in terms of pollinator habitat. However, this study also revealed flaws within the pollinator meadows, and indicates a need for further planting projects to improve habitat on campus. Paper prepared for the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Todd Lookingbil

The Native Plants of Ohio

PDF pages: 5

Urban green space management : manual for local municipalities

The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Estonian University of Life Sciences and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the Programme, Programme participating countries, alongside with the European Union.One of the goals of the project “GreenMan” (ELRI-177) is to develop a system for managing urban green areas in the border regions of Estonia, Latvia and Russia while enhancing the cooperation between specialists in urban green space planning and universities focusing on green space planning and management. One of the outcomes of the “Green Education” work package executed by the Estonian University of Life Sciences is this manual and the accompanying study course on green space management. The manual gathers together and presents good practices for maintaining urban green spaces. All the issues are viewed in the context of the environmental, social and economic challenges of the new century such as better use of limited natural as well as economic resources, enhancing biodiversity and dealing with the pressures caused by increasing numbers of city dwellers, their lack of everyday contact with nature and their need for recreation. Traditional ornamental parks and gardens can only look their best and function well where there are sufficient financial resources, suitable equipment and well-trained staff to manage and maintain them. In their absence it may be a necessary to look at alternative and innovative practices that save money and require lower intensities of all types of inputs. The manual is mainly intended to help the staff of local municipalities to focus their available resources in the most efficient way onto the most important maintenance activities and to nurture and care for the often sensitive plants under their care which, if incorrectly treated can be lost or their value diminished. The manual presents an overview of all the relevant topics of urban green space management and provides the most up to date information about what to focus on in preparing management plans, what maintenance works to order and how to make sure the tasks are properly fulfilled while securing a high quality end result. The recommendations presented in this manual are based on expert reports made within the framework of the project as well as from a wide range of recent high quality and relevant literature on the topic. No references are given directly in the text but all base materials are listed at the end of the manual. All illustrations are provided by Labie Koki. We hope that the manual will be used as the first point of reference and that as many of the recommendations as possible will be followed. Urban green space is as important a part of the infrastructure of an urban area as the roads, services and communications and should be given the same degree of protection and maintenance. Liina Jürisoo, Anna-Liisa Unt, Simon Bell, Jekaterina Balicka, Editors.This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the Estonia – Latvia – Russia Cross Border Cooperation Programme within European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument 2007–201

Beyond the ‘wow factor’? Climate resilient green infrastructure for people and wildlife

Covid-19 and COP26 both amplified calls from the environment sector for greater support for greenspace management globally. As the future of our planet and population is threatened by a global pandemic, escalating mental health challenges and the interrelated climate and biodiversity crises, there is a growing awareness of the potential for the intersecting roles of greenspace (GS), green infrastructure (GI) and nature-based solutions (NBS) to meet the myriad socio-economic and ecological of modern society (Frantzeskaki, 2019; Venkataramanan et al., 2020). Unfortunately, their potential to address these challenges remains undervalued by many, and thus underfunded, (Mell, 2021). Presenting examples of ‘research into action’, we advocate greenspace management to maximise benefits for people and wildlife. We draw on research from UK to consider how and why different people react to landscapes of varying aesthetic and biodiversity quality (Hoyle et al. 2017a), proposing an alternative approach to biodiversity-friendly greenspace management under austerity. Next, we emphasise the urgency of ‘futureproofing’ places to adapt to changing climate, demonstrating the public acceptability of climate-ready urban GI (Hoyle, 2021). Finally, we discuss how socio-cultural variables and values impact on preferences. We illustrate the benefits of co-creating local NBS with reference to ‘Futureproofing Luton’, a live project engaging diverse partners in the co-production of an educational arboretum-meadow. We propose alternative options open to all natural and built environment and public health professionals to support knowledge exchange promoting more sustainable forms of urban development. Although framed within a UK context, the processes of engagement, best practice exchange, and more effective dialogue, are meaningful across Europe and beyond

The Seed

Water—the giver of life, so preciously scarce and yet sometimes so abundant. As I write this in August 2008, much of Nebraska has seen above average rainfall for the year. At my home in Waverly, over 24” of rain has fallen since April 1st. That is nearly 6” above average. After several years of below average precipitation, that is a nice change of pace! Things are lush and green like we haven’t seen in years (although for the last several weeks we have been in a typical late-summer dry pattern). When it rains it pours and in some places of the Midwest, there was way too much rain. Just ask our neighbors to the east in Iowa who suffered devastating flooding from the spring and early summer rains

Flowering plants and insect pollinators in traffic-polluted urban ecosystems: Identifying candidate magnet plant species to promote biodiversity in cities

Plant species that have highly attractive flowers and/or high floral rewards may act as magnet plant species and enhance pollinator visitation rates of adjacent less attractive plant species as well as increase the diversity of pollinators. Organisms occupying urban ecosystems are exposed to several selection pressures, such as habitat fragmentation that leads to isolated habitats. Urbanization also creates new anthropogenic habitats that are exposed to traffic pollution. Despite traffic-caused stressors, these habitats planted with magnet plants, could act as urban restoration areas. This study evaluated the biodiversity of flowering plant species in three small-scale habitat types (traffic islands, parking places, and roadsides) in city centers and in areas outside of the city centers in three Finnish cities in July-August. Insect pollinators were collected simultaneously with the biodiversity estimation of flowering plants. The number of flowering plant species did not differ between areas in the city centers and outside of the city centers, but it seemed to be highest in traffic islands. The diversity of flowering plant species was highest in traffic islands, but it did not differ between areas in the city centers and outside of the city centers. Flowering plant species composition was more homogenous in city centers compared to areas outside of the city centers. Traffic volume did not affect either the abundance or diversity of flowering plant species. The number of pollinators was highest on roadsides and increased with an increasing coverage of flowering species. This study suggests that urban small-scale ecosystems provide green spaces for insect pollinators and that these spaces do not significantly differ from areas outside of the city centers in terms of the diversity of floral resources. Based on previous studies and the results of this study, the following candidate magnet plant species were identified: yarrow (Achillea millefolium), autumn hawkbit (Leontodon autumnalis), white clover (Trifolium repens), common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), and creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense). These species are both abundant in Finnish cities and are able to tolerate traffic pollution; they could be considered when creating pollinator-friendly urban meadows to promote pollinator conservation in cities.Runsaasti pölyttäjiä houkuttelevat kukkakasvit voivat lisätä lähellä kasvavissa ja vähemmän pölyttäjiä houkuttelevissa kasveissa vierailevien pölyttäjien määrää ja monimuotoisuutta. Kaupunkiympäristöissä elävät eliöt kohtaavat monenlaisia valintapaineita, joihin kuuluu esimerkiksi elinympäristöjen pirstoutuminen. Kaupungistuminen kuitenkin luo myös uusia, liikennesaasteille altistettuja elinympäristöjä. Tällaisissa elinympäristöissä kasvavat runsaasti pölyttäjiä houkuttelevat kasvit voisivat osallistua ekosysteemien ennallistamiseen kaupunkiympäristöissä liikenteen aiheuttamista ilmansaasteista huolimatta. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin kukkakasvien monimuotoisuutta heinä-elokuun aikana kolmessa Suomen kaupungissa. Kukkakasveja kartoitettiin kolmenlaisissa pienialaisissa kaupunkielinympäristöissä (liikenteenjakajat, parkkipaikat ja tienreunat), jotka sijaitsivat kaupunkien keskustoissa ja keskustojen ulkopuolella. Samoilta tutkimuspaikoilta kerättiin myös aineistoa hyönteispölyttäjistä. Kukkivien kasvien määrässä ei ollut eroa kaupunkien keskustojen ja keskustan ulkopuolisten alueiden välillä, mutta niiden määrä oli lähes merkitsevästi suurempi liikenteenjakajissa muihin elinympäristöihin verrattuna. Kukkivien kasvien monimuotoisuus oli korkein liikenteenjakajissa, mutta se ei merkitsevästi eronnut kaupunkien keskustojen ja keskustan ulkopuolisten alueiden välillä. Kukkakasvien lajiston koostumus oli yhtenäisempi kaupunkien keskustoissa kuin keskustojen ulkopuolella. Liikennemäärillä ei ollut vaikutusta kukkivien kasvien määrään tai monimuotoisuuteen. Hyönteispölyttäjien määrä oli suurin tienreunoilla ja niiden määrä kasvoi kukkakasvien peittävyyden kasvaessa. Tämän tutkimuksen tulokset viittaavat siihen, että pienialaiset kaupunkielinympäristöt tarjoavat viheralueita hyönteispölyttäjille, eivätkä nämä alueet eroa kukkakasvien monimuotoisuuden suhteen merkitsevästi keskustojen ulkopuolisista alueista. Tämän ja aiempien tutkimuksien perusteella runsaasti pölyttäjiä houkuttelevia kasveja kaupunkiympäristöissä ovat siankärsämö (Achillea millefolium), syysmaitiainen (Leontodon autumnalis), valkoapila (Trifolium repens), pietaryrtti (Tanacetum vulgare) ja pelto-ohdake (Cirsium arvense), jotka ovat sekä yleisiä Suomen kaupungeissa että sietävät liikenteen aiheuttamia ilmansaasteita. Nämä kasvit voisivat kaupunkiniityillä kasvaessaan edistää kaupunkiluonnon monimuotoisuutta

Prairie Gardening

The paper attempts to unpick the real meaning of the term ‘prairie gardening’ and to explore its popularity in a European context. Establishment and maintenance techniques are also considered. The term is, however, applied without discrimination to a wide range of styles, from large-scale traditional prairie restoration or re-creation projects through to highly stylised prairie interpretations. Research included a literature review to assess the main ecological features of, and threats to, native North American Prairie and an examination of the origins of contemporary ‘prairie gardening’ in both the USA and Europe. Primary data was gathered from eight UK gardens associated with this planting style. The evidence suggests that the spectrum of styles encompassed by this term is broad even within the UK, a clear indication that its usage is over-simplistic and potentially ambiguous. The author offers her own classification of the genre under the umbrella term ‘prairie-style gardening’ in the hope of further clarification. The paper is a summary of a project which was carried out as part of the second-year project of the HND in Horticulture with Plantsmanship at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh