Royal wedding could be greenest ever, literally
OUR Royals always seem to engineer good weather for a wedding. In 1981, Charles and Diana married in “reasonably settled summer weather”. Despite the warnings of possible rain, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed similar sunshine in 2011.
Today, naturally, is looking warm and bright in Windsor. However, there is a looming threat on the horizon of some unwanted invaders which could scupper proceedings – and no I’m not talking about the extended Markle clan; they look quite fun to my mind.
No – the recent warm weather has brought with it an explosion of greenfly. I noticed it myself, cycling along the Hope Valley in the Peak District only to end up in a veritable snowstorm of the little blighters.
Typically, say the experts, when the wind picks up the aphids tend to get blown away but while it remains fine and still, their numbers thrive.
Should greenfly interrupt the wedding photographs, then one man who may permit himself a smile would be Meghan’s new father-in-law.
For as a dedicated conservationist like Prince Charles knows, our insects, a fundamental part of any ecosystem, are in a desperate state because of habitat loss, climate change and pesticides. Research published this week in the journal Science warns that global warming is on track to wipe out many insects by the end of the century although if climate change could be limited to a temperature rise of 1.5C, the goal in the global Paris agreement, predicted losses could be far lower.
Last October, meanwhile, German scientists warned of “ecological Armageddon” after it was discovered that three quarters of flying insects in nature reserves across the country had vanished in just 25 years.
So it’s as well to remember that even if they do kamikaze into champagne flutes and up guests’ noses; all life depends on these wedding crashers.