Biodiversity in Sidmouth: "Is planting a million bulbs a 'good thing'?"

A recent posting considered the planting at the Sidmouth Beach Garden:

'Biodiversity' is a huge topic and there is perhaps poor understanding of exactly what it means... 
Over manipulation of environments by ourselves may have adverse effects...
We need to be careful about where our introduced  genetic material comes from...

Futures Forum: Biodiversity in Sidmouth: Beach Garden

This could mean introducing too much of a 'good thing'. 
This note has been received from one of our correspondents:

  

Aside from the choice of genetic material for introductions, mass plantings of any one plant may be corruptive to biodiversity.

Some commercially bred plants may not provide any food accessible to insects. Others may be very attractive to insects and as a mass planting will be favoured by insects at flowering but in so doing their presence may be detrimental in reducing pollination of other local plants in flower at that time. 

This might seem rather churlish, considering the enthusiasm and involvement by the wider community, as reported in another recent posting:
Futures Forum: Keith Owen Fund: one million bulbs: community planting: reports

Moreover, other parts of the country consider it is also seen as a 'good thing': 

The aim is for the community to become more actively involved in their local park, for example they will take part in environmental projects such as tree and bulb planting to help improve the biodiversity in the area.
Newtownabbey Borough Council - Outdoor Areas: Love My Park Scheme

However, there are concerns that some kinds of planting can actually be bad for biodiversity:

What are the main threats to biodiversity?

Addressing the major threats to biodiversity, including those arising from invasive alien species, climate change, pollution, and habitat change

Five main threats to biodiversity are commonly recognized in the programmes of work of the Convention: invasive alien species, climate change, nutrient loading and pollution,habitat change, and overexploitation. Unless we successfully mitigate the impacts of these direct drivers of change on biodiversity, they will contribute to the loss of biodiversity components, negatively affect ecosystem integrity and hamper aspirations towards sustainable use
.Indicators for trends in nutrient loading and invasive alien species have been identified under the focal area addressed here, and are described below. Information on habitat change is provided by the indicator trends in extent of selected biomes, ecosystems and habitats. Overexploitation is discussed under the focal area on sustainable use.
6. What are the main threats to biodiversity?

What is meant by 'invasive alien species'? 
Typical are Spanish bluebell - Hyacinthoides hispanica - and Japanese Knotweed - Fallopia japonica:

Essex Biodiversity Project - Invasive Species - Plants

Strictly speaking, however, any 'invasive alien' is simply a 'non-native' or 'non-indigenous' species:
Invasive species - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Introduced species - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What about 'non-native' bulbs? Here's the beginning of a long discussion thread:

In praise of … daffodils

What's so wrong with larger, louder varieties of the native daffodil?

• The Guardian, Tuesday 13 April 2010
• Jump to comments (34)

Rural bling, lamented the man on the radio a few days ago, of the noisy golden trumpets that are now lining roads and gardens across the country. 

Narcissus pseudonarcissus, the native British daffodil, is being shouldered out by larger, louder varieties. 

It is easy to see why the daffodil, symbol of hope and rebirth, is associated with the vanity of the Greek youth Narcissus, transfixed forever nodding in approval at his glorious reflection. And in an ideal world, nothing could be more wonderful than seeing the early drifts of snowdrops on the verges of country lanes replaced by the delicate, pale golden heads of our own native daffodils. 

But left to themselves, these natives want the damp, misty woodland of the Welsh borders, not the rubbish-strewn roadsides of England's highways. In this latter, unpromising setting, it takes all the vigorous vulgarity of February Gold or Cheerfulness to be seen over the strips of tyre and the fast-food debris that would overwhelm the more fastidious natives. 

And although the daffodil hybridises easily, there is, according to Natural England, little evidence yet that the genetic identity of the native is being damaged. It might also be worth remembering that the narcissus pseudonarcissus that so impressed Shakespeare and Wordsworth may well be an immigrant from Spain – it just got here earlier. It is really just a question of botanical aesthetics, and when it's robust bling rather than the debris from last night's takeout, then bling is better.

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In praise of … daffodils | Editorial | Comment is free | The Guardian

In the case of planting bulbs bought en masse from an outside supplier, there are further issues:

Wildlife habitats and biodiversity 

With large-scale, chemical-dependent agriculture smothering much of the countryside, towns and cities are increasingly important refuges for wildlife.  With bees and other pollinating insects under threat, urban wildlife-friendly gardening isn't just a “' nice thing' – it could be crucial!

There are many simple things we can do to welcome wildlife.  These are great fun for children, who can spend hours playing happily with a magnifying glass, checking out what has come to visit or to make a home in their garden.

Here are some ideas:
•    Provide food
•    Supply water
•    Create shelters
•    Make nesting sites
•    Avoid pesticides and herbicides  

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Are some flowers bad?

Tulips attract pollinating insects, but if the bulbs have been soaked in pesticides
they may be fatal to them. Click on this pictures to learn more.

Yes, they are!

You may have assumed that flowers are universally good for bees and other pollinating insects.  This is not the case.

There are four main reasons why they may not be, of which the last reason is by far the most important.

(1) Not all flowers are pollinated by insects.

Some are pollinated by wind, birds, bats and even slugs and snails!

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The bat Anoura geoffroyi pollinating Meriania tomentosa(Melastomataceae). Click on the image to learn more.

To the left you can see a picture of a bat pollinating a flower.  Obviously those flowers that are adapted for pollination by bats, wind, birds (aloes!), etc., are unlikely to be attractive to insects. Did you know that avocados and guavas are pollinated by bats? (2) Some exotic flowers are not good for local insects. According to gardening.about.com: "Research suggests native plants are four times more attractive to native bees than exotic flowers. They are also usually well adapted to your growing conditions and can thrive with minimum attention. In gardens, heirloom varieties of herbs and perennials can also provide good foraging."

(3) Some flowers that have been bred for show are not good for pollinating insects. According to gardening.about.com: "Most double flowers are of little use, because they're too elaborate. Some are bred without male and female parts, while others have so many petals bees can't get to the nectar and pollen to collect it. This is the main reason why single dahlias are popular with many bees, while doubles are usually ignored.

This single Dahlia is much better for pollinating insects than... ...this double one!

"The single-flowered rose family, which includes crab apple, hawthorn and potentilla, seem to be irresistible to our buzzing friends, as are the flowers of fennel, angelica and cow parsley, and sedums."

To avoid poisoning insects and other wildlife we recommend planting organic bulbs from a supplier such as Ecotulips. Click on the image to visit their website.

(4) Some flowers have been treated with pesticides. It's really important to know that it's not enough simply to avoid pesticide use yourself.  Some bulbs have been soaked in powerful poisons such as the neonicotinoids.  Tiny amounts of these "systemic insecticides" remain in the plants and can significantly shorten the lives of pollinating insects, according to this article from The Beekeepers Quarterly: "In 1998 Dr Luc Belzunces fed bees minutes doses of Imidacloprid in sugar syrup and found that it was lethal to 50% of the bees (LD50) at just 40 parts per billion; all of the bees died within 48 hours at this dosage. However, and this is vitally important, he found that if he gave them a dose one-thousand-times smaller, just 40 pico-grammes – the bees all died within ten days. This latter dose is infinitesimal; bees are gathering pollen and nectar contaminated with levels thousands of times higher than this dose. This is the strongest clue as to how chronic, sub lethal poisoning takes place – but of course, no life cycles studies were ever completed in Europe or America."

And here's another extract, from the editor's note on a fascinating article  - Why Choose Organic When It’s Not Food? - which we recommend you read: "Another reason to choose organic when it’s not food is to consider that when you plant bulbs around your yard, you’re putting pesticide residues into your personal green space. One study of pesticide use on bulbs found that most are treated with about 13 different ingredients, most of them fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides. And before bulbs get shipped to the U.S., they are “fogged” with pirimiphos-methyl, an organophosphate pesticide, to kill the wheat curl mite. The EPA says this pesticide is highly toxic to birds and fish, and recommends that people who fog tulips with it should wear chemical-resistant gloves. (Organic bulb farmers kill wheat curl mites by putting the bulbs in a room they suck the oxygen out of. They call it Ultra Low Oxygen treatment.) Since pesticide residue data isn’t required (and isn’t usually studied) for crops that aren’t meant for human consumption, it’s hard to say just how much chemical residue there is on conventional flower bulbs. But you can be sure that it’s there. And that means you are bringing those chemicals into your home and into your garden. If you are using conventional bulbs, please take these few precautions: "1)    Always wear gloves when handling the bulbs (and make sure that little helpers who can’t seem to keep their hands out of their mouths also wear gloves). "2)    Wash your tools before using them in your vegetable garden. "3)    Plant conventional bulbs far away from edible plants and herbs."

Click on this image to read an informative article on why you should be careful which bulbs you plant.

Wildlife habitats - Leith Community Crops in Pots

See also: Futures Forum: Biodiversity
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