Why We Need Wildflowers
I’m sitting inside today on yet another 94-degree Minnesota summer scorcher. We’re so lucky to have air conditioning.
So many people are suffering through this heat wave that seems to be sucking the earth dry and stoking fires—fires that have sadly shut down the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, usually a cool, welcoming respite for summer vacationers.
But I can’t sit inside all day. Who can? So I venture outside for a breath of somewhat-fresh air. And there they are: the bees and butterflies, feasting on the perennial flowers that have grown in our garden every year for the past 15 years.
The purple coneflowers—Echinacea purpurea—have exploded over the past two weeks, and they are the bees’ current favorite. I spy honeybees and bumble bees sharing the nectar and pollen. The sweet-smelling milkweed blossoms have almost withered away, but the monarchs are out too. And the zinnias, planted from seeds saved from last year’s crop, have just started blooming, already attracting pollinators with their bright colors and sweet nectar.
So I take a few photos, go back inside, and sit down to write this blog post.
Why do we need wildflowers?
To Feed Pollinators—and Us
It seems like a no-brainer: wildflowers provide essential nutrients like nectar and pollen to millions of pollinators. Wildflowers feed birds, butterflies, bees, wasps, caterpillars, and countless other insects. And humans rely on pollinators to pollinate about one-third of the food we eat. So yes, we need them.
That’s the primary argument. But wildflowers do so much more.
To Sequester Carbon
Planting wildflowers in place of lawn is one of the easiest, most meaningful things a homeowner can do to help mitigate climate change.
The root systems of perennial wildflowers are much deeper than turf grass, allowing carbon to be stored in the soil. According to this article from MKSK Landscape Architecture, “on average, prairies sequester 1 ton of carbon/acre each year—a significant carbon sink.”
That doesn’t even count the carbon emissions and other air pollutants avoided by mowing less lawn.
For Biodiversity
It makes sense that wildflower habitat supports more biodiversity than turf grass. But the difference can be dramatic.
The British Ecological Society published an article about a King’s College study in Cambridge, England, that evaluated the difference in biodiversity between a lawn and an urban wildflower meadow a little under an acre in size over a three-year period.
“In spite of its small size (0.36 ha), the meadow supported approximately three times more plant species, three times more spider and bug species and individuals, and bats were recorded three times more often over the meadow than the remaining lawn.”
That’s a lot of life from a relatively small patch of flowers.
For Medicinal Purposes
Various cultures around the world have harvested wildflowers for their powerful medicinal properties for centuries.
Familiar names include chamomile, echinacea, and St. John’s wort — herbal remedies used for ailments ranging from anxiety to pain. But flowers are also used as the basis for modern pharmaceuticals.
The Madagascar periwinkle, for example, is the source of the cancer-fighting drugs vinblastine and vincristine, according to this article from the John Innes Centre. Nature has always been one of our greatest teachers.
To Help Mitigate Flooding
Wildflowers can also help with flooding.
According to this World Wildlife Fund article, “Established wildflower meadows have complex root systems, which makes the soil very stable. This helps to mitigate flooding by holding on to rainwater, and stops nutrients from washing away.”
An added benefit is that water soaks into the soil more slowly, which can also help improve water quality.
For Beauty
It seems obvious that wildflowers provide beauty, especially when planted thoughtfully so something is blooming from early spring through late fall. But beauty is not just decorative. It affects how we feel.
In the King’s College study cited above, researchers found that people much preferred wildflower meadows over lawns. “Respondents thought meadows provided greater aesthetic, educational and mental wellbeing services than lawns.”
That makes sense to me. I feel better when I walk outside and see flowers buzzing with life. It reminds me that even in the middle of heat, drought, and bad news, something beautiful is still happening.
It’s About Our Future
The two biggest environmental issues facing our world today are climate change and biodiversity loss. Planting wildflowers helps with both.
And the hopeful part is that planting wildflowers is accessible to most homeowners. Managing a wildflower garden takes much less maintenance than tending to a lawn. I know because we have some of both, and I tend to both.
Native and adapted flowers can tolerate overly dry and overly wet conditions much better than turf grass. They require less water. They don’t need mowing. And once established, they come back year after year, bringing pollinators with them.
Your Dog Can Change the World
At Project Hive, we talk a lot about our mission to “save the bees.” But of course, we can’t count exactly how many bees we are saving.
What we can count is habitat. We save bees by helping plant wildflower habitat through our partnership with The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund. Thanks to our customers—and their dogs—we’ve helped support the planting of more than 35 million square feet of healthy pollinator habitat.
That means every Project Hive purchase does more than bring joy to a dog. It helps plant wildflowers. It helps feed pollinators. It helps restore biodiversity. It helps create a healthier, more beautiful world for all of us.
So thank you—not only for helping save the bees, but for allowing your dog to help change the world.
