【推荐1】As an ordinary man, I have a special habit to confess. Whenever I walk down the street, I offer to pour a bottle of water from the nearby river into the dirt of a street tree. It’s just my personal habit, and I think it doesn’t make a difference, but I’d like to do it. I mention this in light of a campaign launched by the Arboricultural Association to call on the public to water new street trees.

The UK government has committed to planting millions of trees to help meet climate targets and aims to increase tree cover from 14.5% to 16.5% by 2050. However, as John Parker, chief executive of the Arboricultural Association, says, “Planting a tree is just the start of the story. The health and survival of new urban trees is threatened by increasingly dry weather. It is recommended that the newly planted trees be given about 50 litres of water per week for the first three years.” While in rural settings, the newly planted trees and woods can take care of themselves and adapt, the challenging conditions mean trees in the urban areas need a bit more care.

Long ago, I assumed that the good of street trees was to soften the hard edges of urban environments. But, what an underestimation of tree power that was! A study from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities illustrates they can provide inspiration or a calming atmosphere in an otherwise crowded city. Trees are responsible for easing urban heat island effects and air and pollutant filtration. And I think they provide the habitat for wildlife, especially birds.

Trees can’t run away. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for urban residents, city trees are stuck with us. If we want to continue enjoying all the good they do, we should try to understand their needs and do all that we can to support them. A bottle of water won’t do much, but next time you all together have a bucket of water to pour, you know what big effect will happen.

【推荐2】Few sights fill you with nostalgia (怀旧) like the fireflies dancing at night.     1    Their populations are declining around the world as the threats against them are increasing. Sara Lewis, an expert who studies the insects, offers tips on what you can do to ensure that fireflies will continue to light up your backyard.

Create a firefly habitat

    2     With about 2, 000 different species of fireflies, there’s a wide variety of environments in which they thrive (繁衍) —including wetlands, forests, and even city parks—which is why some species are more threatened than others. “You can recreate those conditions in your own backyard simply by leaving some leaf litter around the edges of your property, “ Lewis says. ”That’s a good microhabitat for fireflies.”

    3    

Flashing lights are an important part in fireflies life. As the sun sets, male fireflies move around while flashing their lights to signal their interest. If a nearby female is interested, she flashes back from her position to the ground, and the males fly down to find her. “All of that has to happen for the next generation to survive,” says Lewis. “However, light pollution makes those scenes much harder to see. It’s like cutting a phone line. It really stops the romance.     4    You can draw your curtains shut at night and turn off the lights completely when possible.”

Stop using pesticides (杀虫剂)

Using pesticides in your yard also poses an existential threat to fireflies, which are insects after all.     5    . Scientists are researching alternatives to chemical pesticides that could target specific species, like mosquitoes, while leaving other insects unharmed.