It's time to bring back the filling!
Wildflowers are useful for their role as pollinator plants and help to support declining bee populations.
Wildflowers are not just beautiful to look at, but they also serve a vital role in our ecosystem.
Many flowering plants are really tasty to herbivores, and it often seems to be the flowers or flower buds themselves that they prefer most.
Woods can be full of flowers when they are not full of herbivores!
As more and more people become aware of the crisis of overgrazing impacting upon Scotland’s natural heritage, there will be more and more voices being raised seeking a reduction in herbivore numbers for the sake not just of, but not least for, the flowers.
The Scottish government has recently published its response to the Deer Working Group recommendations in which the need for effective deer management is stressed. Only time will tell whether the measures outlined will be enough to allow the regeneration and re-flowering of Scotland’s woods!
We can also help by planting wildflowers and protecting them.