The meadows, which are now in bloom at Jesus Green (pictured), Fison Road, Ditton Recreation Ground, King’s Hedges Recreation Ground and Trumpington Recreation Ground were created this year using a mix of nectar-rich wildflower seeds, which was originally developed for the London Olympic Park.
The colourful displays around the city are currently being enjoyed by park users as well as by an array of pollinating insects, including hoverflies, bumblebees and butterflies. Numbers of pollinating insects in the UK have declined significantly in the last 20 years, which prompted this initiative by the council.
This mix used in the meadows includes seeds from both native and non-native nectar-rich species, initially trialled last year on a meadow that has been created on a disused bowling green at Nightingale Recreation Ground in the city.
The mix also enables the flowering season of the meadows to extend from June, when it began, until the first frosts of the winter.
Elsewhere in the city, a report from a member of the public of large numbers of small tortoiseshell and peacock butterfly caterpillars on Midsummer Common has prompted the council’s operations team to leave some patches of nettles – the caterpillars’ food plant – to allow them to pupate before hibernating for the winter.
Cllr Carina O’Reilly, Executive Councillor for City Centre and Open Spaces, said: “Everybody likes butterflies, but we’re quite fond of bees, hoverflies, and of course caterpillars as well.
“We’re lucky to be custodians of a fantastic network of formal and informal green spaces across the city.
“The meadow initiative is proving to be popular both with park users and our important pollinating insects. We hope to roll out more across the city in future years.
“Collectively our gardens also have the potential to provide a huge resource for declining pollinators. Anyone can sow their own small annual meadow this autumn or next spring - even a window box or pot will provide a colourful display, attracting these beautiful insects close to your home.”
The council also manages 12 Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) across the city which contain flower rich native perennial meadows and wetlands. Some of them support scarce orchids and the rare, wonderfully named Moon Carrot.
Additional information on Cambridge City LNRs can be found at: http://lnr.cambridge.gov.uk/
For more information on attracting pollinators visit Butterfly Conservation’s website
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