Suburban gardens 'play vital role'
Suburban backyards play a vital role in preserving Britain's animals and plants, it has been claimed.
Suburban gardens 'play vital role' Researchers who surveyed 61 gardens in Sheffield between 1999 and 2002 discovered an "astonishing diversity" of flora and fauna.
And small gardens made as important a contribution as large ones, and contained a far richer range of life than modern farms.
The scientists identified 1,166 types of plants - equivalent to more than two thirds of native British flora - and 700 species of invertebrates.
On average, 42% of plants were home-grown British with many more originating from other countries including Asia and North America.
Dr Ken Thompson, from the University of Sheffield, who led the BUGS study, said: "If you are comparing gardens with an equivalent area of modern intensive farming, then gardens are much, much better in terms of everything you measure, whether it is spiders, bugs or birds.
"It's a slightly heretical thing to say, but most farmland would be improved by having a housing estate build on it, from a biodiversity perspective."
Speaking at the British Science Festival at the University of Surrey in Guildford, Dr Thompson gave a number of tips for improving a garden's wildlife habitability.
He said: "The top thing is to grow more, big shrubs and trees, which massively increase the volume of vegetation in your garden. A lot of vegetation means a lot of places to live and a lot of stuff to eat.
"Other things include dig a pond, don't be too tidy, don't be in a hurry to clear up everything when it stops flowering, and don't Hoover up the last leaf. Just leave a bit of stuff lying around."
Yes I read that too... there's the garden inLeicester that an (?) Entomologist has been studying for about 30 years and has loads of insects... :)
Quite so ::) :)
The top tips certainly reflect my gardening style!! ;)
Here's the link to the article
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/why-untidy-gardens-make-the-best-habitat-for-wildlife-1783396.html
Quote from: grawrc on September 08, 2009, 11:59:17
The top tips certainly reflect my gardening style!! ;)
me too :)