Wildflowers
by T.G. Goh
I came across a patch of wildflowers growing along a fence that surrounded a field the other day. It was interesting as that was the only part of a large field where there were animals. While all of it could be called 'green space', only a small patch that lined the fence was actually useful for the butterflies, ants and flies. As it seems, our green spaces are not very useful for animals, except in places where we neglect to keep clean and orderly. It is often the case that animals are not found evenly spread across an environment like butter on toast. Animals are more likely to clump around resources that they can use. More like poorly spread butter on toast, the kind that groggy people make in the kitchen when they are in a hurry to get to work. There is often too much in one spot and almost none in others. Like humans, there needs to be a pull factor for wildlife to come and use a green area. If we think we are helping wildlife by just planting green things, we are sorely mistaken. So as part of the greening plan, how can we design green space to be both useful to humans, plants and animals? Perhaps we should not just evaluate how a field can be used for a human, but also its ecological role. As with natural habitats, we could look into how an area can hold multiple functions and services that not only improve our lives, but those of other living things around us as well. It sounds very complicated, but it is not difficult to just let wildflowers grow.
T.G. Goh is an entomologist based in the Museum of Zoology. He can frequently be seen walking around campus, ruminating on the state of biodiversity; it is from his shortcuts through untarred territories that he gets the inspiration for his columns. You can contact him at u_loji@yahoo.com.
