Instructions

Why Wildflower Habitats are Urgently Needed
National Geographic reports on a study that confirms insects are vanishing at an alarming rate. The National Park Service reports that “Populations of bees and other pollinators are declining around the world,” and that these significant declines are due to habitat loss, pesticides, the invasion of non-native species and global warming.

The Center for Biological Diversity reveals that more than 40 percent of pollinators, mostly bees, are facing extinction and that eastern monarchs have declined more than 80% over the past two decades and are now on the species endangered list. “Monarchs are the face of the wildlife crisis where even once common species could now disappear.”

The Importance of using this Simple Technique is that the life of a wildflower seed is full of risks and the majority of seeds dispersed naturally or thrown by hand never reach maturity. The great advantage in using this technique of planting wildflower seeds in pots or flats is that they can be sown after the freezing temperatures of winter have set in, avoiding the increasing dangers posed by global warming, and then further protected from being eaten by enclosing them in a mesh covered frame. A small nursery can be easily and cheaply made and will produce a bounty of seedlings in the spring.

In a shifting climate with environmental diversity at risk, it’s never been more important to propagate native plants and repopulate pollinator habitats.