Sown wildflower meadows: Can they replace natural meadows in urban spaces for bees, butterflies, and hoverflies?

The decline in pollinator populations is partly due to human practices that have contributed to the loss of wild and flower-rich habitats. In cities, especially city centers, urban green spaces, which are usually small, are often sown with wildflower meadows. The study compared the number and species richness of three main groups of pollinating insects (wild bees, butterflies, and hoverflies) for two types of meadows in Warsaw: sown wildflower meadows and natural meadows. The research results showed that there was no difference in the composition of insect-pollinated plants between the meadow types. There was also no difference between the meadow types concerning the species richness of butterflies, bees, and, hoverflies. However, it was confirmed that the number of butterflies was twice as high in natural meadows than it was in sown floral meadows, while in the case of wild bees and hoverflies, no such differences were found. The study confirmed that areas sown with wildflowers, usually of small areas, concentrate on pollinating insects and have a similar value for pollinators as larger areas of natural meadow. Sown wildflower meadows, if properly cared for, can ensure the richness of melliferous plant species and thus positively affect the diversity and number of pollinators. Sown meadows can compensate insects for the absence of large, natural meadows, especially in the fragmented spaces in cities.

传粉昆虫（pollinators）种群的衰减，部分源于人类活动造成的野生花卉丰富型栖息地丧失。在城市尤其是中心城区，规模普遍偏小的城市绿地常被营建为播撒野生花卉的草甸（wildflower meadows）。
本研究针对华沙地区的两类草甸——播撒野生花卉的人工草甸（sown wildflower meadows）与天然草甸（natural meadows），对比了三类主要传粉昆虫（pollinating insects）：野生蜂类（wild bees）、蝶类（butterflies）与食蚜蝇（hoverflies）的种群数量与物种丰富度。
研究结果显示，两类草甸的虫媒授粉植物组成并无显著差异。两类草甸在蝶类、野生蜂类与食蚜蝇的物种丰富度上同样不存在显著差异。
但研究证实，天然草甸内的蝶类数量是播撒野生花卉草甸的两倍；而野生蜂类与食蚜蝇的种群数量则未呈现此类差异。
本研究证实，通常规模有限的野生花卉播撒区可吸引传粉昆虫聚集，其对传粉昆虫的保育价值可与大面积天然草甸相媲美。
若管护得当，播撒野生花卉的草甸可保障蜜源植物物种的丰富度，进而对传粉昆虫的多样性与种群数量产生积极影响。
播撒野生花卉的草甸可在城市碎片化生境中，弥补大型天然草甸的缺失，为传粉昆虫提供适宜的替代栖息空间。