Neighbours report this mini-meadow in an Ottawa park was buzzing with bees one August afternoon. Native plants in bloom are Sneezeweed, Great Blue Lobelia, and Rough Goldenrod. Photo by Ingrid Nielson.
An article in The Guardian this week reported how scientists found that planting a variety of native plants in urban green spaces can result in a huge increase in the number of insects. So many species are in danger these days, it’s good to know that we can help by adding native plants to our gardens and creating pollinator gardens in parks and boulevards.
“The benefits of urban greening initiatives are increasingly well documented: they can help mitigate the effects of urban heating, and improve physical health and mental wellbeing. And even small greening actions in cities can significantly improve local biodiversity, new research suggests.
“Increasing the diversity of native plants in a single urban green space resulted in a sevenfold increase in the number of insect species after three years, Australian researchers have found.”