Wildflowers Benefit Arkansas Environment and Economy
Arkansans drive by beautiful wildflowers along roadsides throughout the state in spring and summer and likely often overlook them. But wildflowers should not be overlooked for the important role they play in our state’s environmental and economic health.
Keep Arkansas Beautiful (KAB) partners with communities across both urban and rural areas to plant native wildflowers that support essential pollinators such as bees and butterflies. These pollinators are not only key to maintaining Arkansas’ natural beauty but are also crucial to agriculture.
More than half of the world’s diet of fats and oils comes from animal-pollinated plants such as canola and sunflowers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Crops such as grains and fruits that depend on pollination are worth more than $10 billion annually.
Wildflowers not only attract bees and butterflies, but they also draw tourists. States that cultivate thriving wildflower displays attract visitors, including wildflower enthusiasts, who contribute to the state’s tourism economy.
KAB also works with communities to organize hands-on wildflower planting projects.
“We have found that these activities help foster community pride and involvement and provide meaningful opportunities for young people, especially, to engage with their environment and learn about ecological stewardship,” said McKenzie McMath Coronel, director of KAB.
Keep Little Rock Beautiful worked with KAB and other community partners to create the Pollinator Garden at Allsopp Park in the capital city. The garden features educational signage about pollinator species and walking paths to make it easy to explore and enjoy. It’s also used as a learning resource for students who want to better understand the environment.
“Little Rock’s Allsopp Park is a great example of how communities can use wildflowers to create spaces that serve their residents and the environment, and we encourage more locales to consider the same,” Coronel said.
Wildflower planting is also being incorporated into KAB’s seasonal cleanup events, furthering eco-restoration efforts across Arkansas.
To learn more about how to get involved in planting projects in your community and to request free seed packets, visit keeparkansasbeautiful.com/get-involved/wildflowers/.