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To save our pollinators we need weeds

Tony.harwood36Tony.harwood36 Posts: 3
in Wildlife gardening
Our pollinators are undergoing catastrophic declines as a result of habitat loss and pesticide use. But there is something we can all do to give our bees, butterflies and other beleaguered nectar and pollen feeders a helping hand.

A fantastic petition to the UK Parliament has just been posted calling for the repeal of the archaic Weeds Act 1959. This now obsolete piece of legislation drives and justifies the 'scorched earth' approach to land management practiced by many councils and other land owners.

Please sign and share with your friends we can really make a difference for our declining pollinators:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/266743
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Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet PeterboroughPosts: 26,058
    I do agree Tony. all we read is help the Bees, Bee Bombs, dangerous spiders and people suck it up. We need to protect the whole eco-system, much of which depends, at some stage, on a native plant. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 56,677
    ✅ 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • philippa smith2philippa smith2 Posts: 7,634
    Couldn't agree more - Done :)
  • yorkshireroseyorkshirerose North YorkshirePosts: 361
    I'm with you. Will sign now!
    A gardener's work is never at an end  - (John Evelyn 1620-1706)
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Bruges, BelgiumPosts: 792
    Done. 
  • wild edgeswild edges The north west of south east WalesPosts: 3,737
    @Tony.harwood36 maybe as a new poster you should introduce yourself and explain your role in the petition. A link to a campaign page with the facts of the arguments is also useful.
  • Tony.harwood36Tony.harwood36 Posts: 3
    As background the Weeds Act petition has recently received coverage on The Telegraph website:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/14/give-dock-leaves-thistles-protected-status-save-britains-rare/

    Though a little dramatic in its framing and title the article in none the less worth a read.

    In terms of my interest, I chair Maidstone Borough Council's Climate Change and Biodiversity Emergency Working Group and this petition was submitted by a brilliant local young ecologist. 
  • wild edgeswild edges The north west of south east WalesPosts: 3,737
    Thanks for that. Like you say that article is a bit misleading at times but useful. It's a shame the headline missed the point so badly though. I think the petition will face strong opposition from the horsey set sadly. Most horse owners I know hold very strong and usually incorrect views on ragwort especially.
  • pansyfacepansyface PEAK DISTRICT DerbyshirePosts: 15,342
    I’m not a horsey person at all. But ragwort is an extremely dangerous plant when it is eaten by horses and cattle.  For the effects on these animals, see here.

    https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-guidance-prevent-spread-ragwort/

    When I go out walking, I always pull up Oxford ragwort when I see it on grazing land.  Like Japanese knotweed, it was sadly introduced into this country by blithering idiots long ago.

    However, in my garden I have an abundance of flowering weeds, though I draw the line at Japanese knotweed. Many of them, including ragwort, blow in from elsewhere. They are welcome to flower in my garden. I just don’t let the nasty ones seed and spread to the adjacent field.

    I have signed the petition.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
  • Tony.harwood36Tony.harwood36 Posts: 3
    Indeed, as an owner of horses who all steer well clear of ragwort but quite enjoy a nice spear thistle, which they 'paw' to 'defuse' the spines, I fear you are correct. The predictable comments at the foot of the Telegraph article have been rebutted quite effectively though.
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