Abstract
As part of an Urban Buzz scheme, strips of teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) and greater knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) have been established along a sea wall flood defense in the UK to provide a corridor of flower-rich habitat for pollinators such as bees and butterflies. The cutting of tall grassland and planting of dicotyledons also created a suitable short sward environment (c. 30 cm height) for Orthoptera nymphs in the establishment year (2018). However, by 2019, the grassland in the pollinator strips was taller (c. 75 cm) and suboptimal for grasshoppers; in contrast to Roesel’s bush-cricket (Roeseliana roeselii), which inhabited the taller vegetation in greater abundance. The progression to established grassland with flowering D. fullonum saw the pollinator strips attract significantly higher numbers of bees and butterflies than the floristically poor control strips. This small-scale study illustrates that pollinator strips can have multi-functional benefits for ecosystems beyond pollination, with Orthoptera of tall grassland (R. roeselii) likely to persist alongside planted wildflowers.
Highlights
The loss of 97% of wildflower-rich meadows in the UK has necessitated conservation interventions to restore essential ecosystem services such as pollination (Blowers et al 2017, Cresswell et al 2018, Gardiner and Fargeaud 2018a)
Sea wall flood defenses often have the last remnants of unimproved meadow in lowland areas (Gardiner et al 2015), which can be important habitats for bumblebees (Gardiner and Fargeaud 2018b) and Orthoptera (Gardiner and Charlton 2012, Fargeaud and Gardiner 2018) largely due to the varied sward structure and microhabitats
One D. fullonum flowered in 2018, whereas 44 D. fullonum flowered in July 2019, providing numerous flowers for pollinators to ultilize
Summary
The loss of 97% of wildflower-rich meadows in the UK has necessitated conservation interventions to restore essential ecosystem services such as pollination (Blowers et al 2017, Cresswell et al 2018, Gardiner and Fargeaud 2018a). Sea wall flood defenses often have the last remnants of unimproved meadow in lowland areas (Gardiner et al 2015), which can be important habitats for bumblebees (Gardiner and Fargeaud 2018b) and Orthoptera (Gardiner and Charlton 2012, Fargeaud and Gardiner 2018) largely due to the varied sward structure and microhabitats. As part of the scheme, strips of wildflowers have been established along an urban fringe sea wall flood defense in Ipswich to provide a corridor of flower-rich habitat for pollinators.
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