grim..

Day 172 #365DaysWild

Today we celebrated the shortest day with storm Pia. Or is it tomorrow? 

Unbothered, raggle taggle plucky primroses produced a few flowers in celebration of the winter solstice.

But the celebration for the plant kingdom may be premature…

The dramatic reduction in invertebrate numbers we are seeing may be having equally dramatic effects on the flowers they formerly pollinated.

Flowers are evolving to be less attractive to pollinators as insect numbers decline, researchers from The New Phytologist Foundation revealed this month. Field pansies growing near Paris are 10% smaller and produce 20% less nectar than flowers growing in the same fields 20 to 30 years ago. 

They are also less frequently visited by insects.

Plants require cross-pollination to produce vigorous seeds.

Insects require flowers producing pollen and nectar.

Our depressing addiction to the short-sited use of toxic pesticides is reaping another grim harvest.