Its four hectares of wild flowers on the Guérande hillside are currently a feast for the eyes. In about two weeks, all these flowers will be harvested and their seeds collected. Here we find harvest chrysanthemums, poppies, cornflowers. There is also the variegated anthemis which is very rare and the small canary grass which is only found in the Régis field
, explains Aurélia Lachaud. The latter is a botanist and works for Semence Nature. She is responsible for finding wild flower seeds who have a genetic background adapted to the Armorican massif
.
Sow wild
It was she who, in 2021, convinced the farmer to grow wildflowers. I had sown barley which had not emerged. So I tried flowers. It doesn’t work every year
he admits.
They are a good food stock for pollinating insects
Régis Leterte is now part of a network of farmers who cultivate wild plants organically. It is Aurélia Lachaud’s job to develop this sector to enrich the seed collection of the company for which she works. The seeds are then sold to communities and professionals. The seeds are used to re-grow wild flowers which unfortunately tend to disappear along with their habitat. With them, insects also disappear. Our wildflowers and our insects are inseparable because they have co-evolved together for millennia: the former rely on insects to reproduce, the latter rely on plants for food. It is therefore necessary to sow wildly
. Obviously, when insects disappear, birds and bats follow them.
And sow local
Régis Leterte flowers germinate very early and flower quickly. Furthermore, they flower again when they fade. They are therefore a good food stock for pollinating insects and are also very honey-producing. They will be harvested during June. In the fall, the farmer will sow seeds of other species and this year’s plants should yield again next year.
Semence Nature sells these seeds to its customers in the form of mixtures. For the moment, we have the seeds of 170 species
. The aim of the company is to offer local plant seeds, adapted to different regions. Our local plants have also developed adaptations to the characteristics of our Armorican Massif region: its granite soils and its climate. Their diverse genetic background allows them to adapt to stressful situations such as those of ongoing climate change.
concludes Aurélia Lachaud.
