Biodiversity in Flower Meadows
Friday, 15 September 2023
Last July, the flower meadows at Burgers' Zoo were full of flowering plants. Not only is it a beautiful sight, but it also benefits biodiversity. A few years ago, the meadows were sown with an annual field mix to achieve quick results. Last year, the meadow near the Mangrove was completely re-sown with a perennial bee mixture.
Annual or perennial plants
As the name suggests, annual plants complete their life cycle from germination to death within a single year. Because annuals have a relatively short period to reproduce, they generally produce many flowers and seeds. Within this group, some plants produce seeds in the spring and bloom in late summer of the same year, while others produce seeds in the fall and bloom in the spring or summer of the following year.
Perennial plants live for more than one year. Because they can reproduce over multiple years, these plants typically produce fewer flowers or have shorter blooming periods compared to annuals. Native perennial plants survive the winter, often dying off above ground but keeping their root system alive.
Biodiversity above and below ground
Flowering plants are essential for biodiversity both above and below the ground. Below ground, they interact with microorganisms that provide nutrients to the plants or benefit from them. Fertile soil also contains spiders, worms, woodlice, moles, and mice, many of which rely on plants for food. When deceased animals decompose, they provide nutrients to the soil, benefiting the plants. Plants are thus a crucial link in the soil food web. When everything is thriving below ground, plants can flourish above ground as well. Many species, including butterflies, bees, bumblebees, beetles, and hoverflies, rely on flowering plants. They feed on pollen and/or nectar and play a role in pollinating the flowers during foraging. Larvae of various insects also feed on leaves and flowers, finding shelter among the plants. Insects, their larvae, and worms serve as food for small mammals, reptiles, and birds, which in turn become prey for larger mammals and birds. Finally, dead plants provide food for microorganisms. Thus, plants are also a vital link in the aboveground food web.
Biodiversity above and below ground
Flowering plants are essential for biodiversity both above and below the ground. Below ground, they interact with microorganisms that provide nutrients to the plants or benefit from them. Fertile soil also contains spiders, worms, woodlice, moles, and mice, many of which rely on plants for food. When deceased animals decompose, they provide nutrients to the soil, benefiting the plants. Plants are thus a crucial link in the soil food web. When everything is thriving below ground, plants can flourish above ground as well. Many species, including butterflies, bees, bumblebees, beetles, and hoverflies, rely on flowering plants. They feed on pollen and/or nectar and play a role in pollinating the flowers during foraging. Larvae of various insects also feed on leaves and flowers, finding shelter among the plants. Insects, their larvae, and worms serve as food for small mammals, reptiles, and birds, which in turn become prey for larger mammals and birds. Finally, dead plants provide food for microorganisms. Thus, plants are also a vital link in the aboveground food web.
Our flower meadows
You can find flower meadows next to Burgers' Mangrove and opposite the lemur island. All the planted plants in the flower meadows are native. By native plants, we mean plants that established themselves in the Netherlands after the last ice age and have adapted to the environmental conditions here. This means that the periods of flowering and growth are genetically encoded and correspond to the times when insects need food, which in turn are food sources for, for example, young birds. The seed mixture used by Burgers' Zoo includes plants such as red campion, woad, cornflower, red clover, common poppy, scentless chamomile, wild garlic, common bugloss, and common daisy.
