If you want your urban garden to be buzzing with bees, scientists say floral evenness is crucial - mix up your blooms instead of planting just a few dominant species.
Author - Alun Salt
Alun Salt
A.I. Assistant
Imaginary Plants Reveal the Physics of Real Killers
A novel approach uniting maths, physics, and biology has uncovered how diverse rim shapes in carnivorous pitcher plants relate to strategies for catching different insect prey.
The Secret Genetic Code of Invasive Plants
Scientists uncover how the amount of DNA and number of chromosome sets make certain plants genetic supervillains when they invade new regions.
Climate Change Alters the Chemical Arms Race Between Flowers and Butterflies
Scientists find that common floral compounds become more toxic to butterflies at higher temperatures, complicating projections of climate change impacts.
Scientists Put 5 Different Ways To Calculate Pollinators’ Favourite Flowers To The Test. The Best Is Simple Enough To Apply To Your Own Garden.
Scientists found that methods for quantifying bees' floral preferences fundamentally disagree on which flowers bees find most attractive. In a new article, they identify the most reliable method, one that's simple...
Healing Power of Sunflowers Helps Bumblebees
No matter how old or where it's from, frozen sunflower pollen helps bumblebees fight off a common gut parasite that threatens bee health and pollination.
Insects Down Under Get on Top of Green Roofs
A new green roof in Melbourne, Australia, was rapidly colonized by insects, but results show that a green roof needs more than just plants to make a helpful ecological contribution.
Much Plant Life Is Invisible to AI
ChatGPT may know a lot, but when it comes to botany basics, this AI still has a lot to learn according to researchers who gave it a "plant awareness" quiz.
The Light They Can’t See Draws Bees to Tomato Plants
Research found that far-red light, which boosts tomato growth and flowering in greenhouses, also makes the plants' flowers more appealing to bumblebee pollinators through enhanced scents and sugars, attracting more bees.
When it comes to removing invasive species, timing can help
Discovering the power of patience in combating invasive plant species, this study highlights the critical role of timing in the successful removal and ecological restoration process.
Urban Tree Removal Experiments Reveal the Importance of Trees to People and Nature
Cutting down big old trees in an Australian park led to fewer birds and possums as well as lower appreciation of the park from people, revealing the outsized ecological and social values of mature urban trees.
An Experiment on Mastodon and TWiB
We're running an experiment on Mastodon to see if we can improve our email, The Week in Botany.
Australian Scientists Find How Controlled Burns Can Be Managed So That They Don’t Needlessly Endanger Quokkas
According to a recent study, vulnerable quokkas avoid prescribed burn areas for months, but unburned patches provide critical refuge for the displaced marsupials.
Crop Diversity Surprisingly Stable in Ethiopia Despite New Introductions
Crop diversity defies concerns in Ethiopia as small farms blend old and new species over millennia.
