What are wildflowers
Wildflowers are flowering plants that grow naturally in the wild, without any help from humans. The good news is that they’re also extremely easy to grow and maintain in your own garden too!
You might see wildflowers beginning to pop up in the spring, but did you know that they can be sown and flower in autumn too?
The perks of a wildflower
Wildflowers don’t just add a fabulous flourish of colour to our woodlands, they’re also very important for animals and the environment. In fact, we can’t survive without them! Here’s why:
- Wildflowers attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. We need these insects to pollinate our crops. Without them, there could be a shortage of food and food prices could rise
- Tall wildflowers are an important habitat for lots of different bugs and insects, such as grasshoppers and ladybugs. They help many different wildlife species to thrive
- Wildflower seeds provide food for birds and small mammals. This is especially helpful in the winter when food is hard to find
- Wild plants and flowers have roots that reach deep into the soil, storing water and nutrients. The roots also hold on to carbon that would otherwise be released into the air, causing damage to the environment
THE PROCESS OF POLLINATION
Are you wondering how wildflowers end up in fields and parks if they’re not planted there by people? Well, this is where our buzzing bees come in! Wildflowers are spread through pollination by insects like bees and butterflies
To reproduce, plants produce seeds. But to make a seed, a flower must be pollinated first. Let’s have a look at the pollination process, step-by-step
