Flowers are biodegradable.
That’s exactly why many people assume they can’t harm a river.
But when large quantities of flowers enter the same water body, bacteria begin decomposing them. This process consumes dissolved oxygen, the same oxygen fish and other aquatic organisms rely on to survive.
Some flowers may also carry residues of pesticides and fertilizers from cultivation.
This post explores what happens after flowers enter a river and why even biodegradable waste can affect aquatic ecosystems when introduced at a large scale.