蜜蜂巴士站

王娇

英國与欧洲国家把绿色植物种植在公共汽车站站台顶部，这一举措不仅能吸引蜜蜂进食和授粉，而且还为其提供了安全的栖息地，有效维护了生物多样性。

In an effort to help out important insects like bees and butterflies， bus stops across the United Kingdom （UK） and Europe are getting living roofs. Small gardens on bus shelter roofs are being planted with flowers chosen to help support the struggling insects. Called “bee bus stops” or “buzz stops”， the gardens provide much?needed islands of nature in a tough， man?made environment of a city.

Humans count on bees and other “pollinators” （传粉昆虫） like butterflies to help grow plants， such as flowers， trees and crops. When these insects visit flowers， they collect pollen—a yellow powder in the center of most flowers. Without bees or other insects bringing pollen from one flower to another， many plants could not produce seeds or grow fruits or vegetables.

But in recent years， insect numbers have been dropping sharply.As humans have taken over more and more land for cities， roads and farms， natural areas have disappeared. Bee bus stops are a small step towards supporting these important insects.

Bee bus stops are like ordinary bus shelters， but small gardens have been added to the roofs. The gardens are filled with flowers and plants chosen to attract bees and butterflies. In the UK， The Wildlife Trusts is giving advice on the locations of the shelters and the plants that are included.

Research shows that these bus stops—along with many other steps taken to support pollinators—may be helping. After decades of dropping numbers， bee populations in the Netherlands seem to have become more stable over the last few years. The little gardens can also help to slightly lower city temperatures.

Whats the function of little gardens on bus stops roofs？