From Botanic Gardens to Insect Studies; the Secrets to Thriving Ecosystems

Gardening with the RHS

Royal Horticultural Society

Home & Garden, Leisure, Hobbies

4.4 • 654 Ratings

🗓️ 27 June 2024

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Chris Kidd, Curator of Ventnor Botanic Gardens, discusses his pioneering low-intervention approach to horticulture with a two decade long experiment which has yielded some surprising results on the Isle of Wight. New research from Butterfly Conservation reveals letting parts of your garden grow wild can increase butterfly numbers by up to 93%, we meet entomologist Dr Richard Fox to find out why moths and butterflies are such important members of the garden community. And finally, we catch up with Gemma Burr at RHS Garden Wisley to learn what you can sow right now to ensure your garden stays insect friendly throughout the season. Host: Guy Barter Contributors: Chris Kidd, Dr Richard Fox, Gemma Burr Other links: Ventnor Botanic Gardens website Butterfly Conservation wild garden study Wild Spaces website The Big Butterfly Count Sustainable Planting Combinations Become a RHS member

Transcript

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0:00.0	Get your tickets for the greatest show in Earth at an RHS garden near you.
0:06.4	Where nature puts on an unforgettable performance of colour and fragrance to delight your senses.
0:13.2	Inspire your gardening adventures and entertain your own little stars.
0:17.4	Race you, let's go.
0:19.5	Catch Springs finest scenes while you can at an RHS garden near you, let's go. Catch Springs, finest scenes while you can,
0:22.1	at an RHS garden near you.
0:24.0	Book tickets online for discounts,
0:26.0	plus under fives go free and under 16s of five pounds.
0:31.8	I think what I really love about butterflies and moths,
0:35.3	well, there are many things, really.
0:37.0	There's the never-ending sort of amazing complexity of colours and patterns that they have on their wings, which are quite unusual.
0:45.3	Most of our insects have clear wings, and indeed the wings of butterflies and moths are also clear underneath.
0:53.3	But what's unique about the lepidoptera, the butterflies and the moths, is that their wings are covered in scales.
1:01.0	They're like little roof tiles all over their wings.
1:04.0	And it's these tiny little scales that provide all of that colour and patterning that we see on their wings. They're so beautiful.
1:12.6	That was entomologist Dr Richard Fox,
1:15.6	sharing his passion for butterflies and moths.
1:18.6	These incredible insects, along with their many relatives,
1:21.6	are essential members of a thriving garden community.
1:24.6	From pollination to pest control,
1:26.6	they provide crucial ecosystem services
1:29.3	that help maintain balance in our garden spaces. The UK is home to an astonishing 24,000 species of insects,
	...

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