At 19:00 on 22nd April in Bakio`s Kultur Etxea BBT and Haria Elkartea have invited Jose Ramon Gomez to give a talk on urban flowers. Jose Ramon has written various books but is perhaps best-known for his monthly article in Quercus in which he gives information on a plant or flower. In this month Quercus he dedicates two ages to the modest Poa annua, an annual meadow grass which is present everywhere, including apparently the Antarctic! Jose Ramon believes firmly in the need for less aggressive management of the many wild flowers, plants and grasses that grow in our streets, walls and verges. Tidiness should not be the only criteria in green space management and people need to be made aware of the important role of wild flowers and plants in maintaining a town`s biodiversity. Jose Ramon reminds us that it not just for aesthetic reasons that we should respect wild urban flowers as even when they have died away and look less attractive they have an important role to play in feeding the many species of birds in our towns. I remember lockdown looking at a modest Crepis capillaris which seemed to be the main source of food for a pair of beautiful bullfinches.
Quite recently I wrote an article on Arangoiti`s “Botanic Park” and it was with great sadness that the inevitable happened and only a few days after visiting Arangoiti that the grass and all its magnificent and beneficial flowers were cut. It would have been so simple not to have cut the grass as it doesn`t impede movement and most of the area which was cut is of difficult access. I have just come across a diagnostic report on biodiversity in Bilbao carried out by the University of the Basque Country. Do our municipal authorities read these reports? Do they really understand what simple measures can be taken to conserve biodiversity? Unfortunately in reply to a request by Podemos for a more sustainable approach to green spaces apparently one of the PNV councilors replied that Bilbainos don`t want that sort of green space management. I, like many other people, beg to disagree. People need information on the importance of biodiversity and Bilbao City Hall would be well-advised to listen to people like Jose Ramon Gomez in order to re-think their green space management. At least the people in Bakio and the towns around it will have the chance to do so!
