Amid a concrete jungle, bees and butterflies have nowhere to pollinate.
This causes fewer fruits, nuts and seeds to grow without the spread of pollen from different areas, environmentalist Karishma Porwal told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday.
“The natural world is in full bloom, we have our flowers and trees brightening up our green spaces,” Porwal said. “Other than the warm weather and the rain, we really have pollinators to thank for this and also for many other aspects of life as we know it.”
Pollinators include insects such as bees and butterflies, but also birds that bring seedlings from one greenspace to another, Porwal said. In cities, the lack of trees and plants limits the number of pollinators.
“One of the reasons why their population is declining is because of urban sprawl,” she said. “As we turn more and more greenspace into concrete cities, there are less flowery meadows and forests where pollinators can live and feed.”
Porwal says there are strategies people can use to help pollinators do their job more easily, including planting more native flowers in gardens, windowsills and balconies.
“[Native pollinators] love native wildflowers, and this is good news because they don’t need as much tending to,” she said. “They are pretty much just going to thrive on their own.”
Additionally, cities can incorporate greenspaces within streets by creating specific gardens. Montreal made a “beeline” along one of its urban streets where boxes of wildflowers bloom undisturbed.
Another tip Porwal has is to let one area of your lawn grow “wild” – this involves not cutting the grass and leaving it free of pesticides.
“You can use a little fence or a ribbon marking the area,” she said. “Just let nature do its thing. This little patch is going to turn into a pollinator habitat all on its own.”
To hear all of Porwal’s tips, click the video at the top of this article.
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