We had an email passed on from Plantlife regarding their "No Mow May" tagline ...
Personally I have been enjoying the wildflowers in the local lanes and have enjoyed the progression that I have seen through all this nice weather (Ok except today) and I agree wholeheartedly that a bit less mowing is making the world a much nicer place and is of course a much better situation for wildlife. it will be interesting to see if there are longer term benefits from mowing less and I hope we can persuade our local councils to keep to this minimal mowing (only for safety and "do it once and clear the cuttings") approach
Here are a couple of local verges ...
Our road verge campaign hit the headlines in April and May with fantastic coverage on this spring's flower-filled verges. The potential benefit of lockdown keeping the mowers at bay was covered by BBC News, The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail and The Independent to name but a few...
You might’ve also spotted BBC Countryfile Magazine’s guide to road verges and writer Matt Gaw penned a lovely article for The i newspaper on taking a walk on the roadside and the wonderful wildlife you might find along the way. Our campaign was highlighted in international news by CBS in the US, and in '5 good news stories for the planet' by video-journalists at Brut. media.
Closer to home, this time of year can make it clear which councils are taking progressive steps by leaving verges wild flowers to bloom and set seed, and which ones could do more for nature by implementing our best practice management guidelines. Social media has been abuzz with images of gorgeous verges allowed to flower - and an abundance of orchids! - alongside some instances of wild flowers razed to the ground as the mowers start to return.
This stark contrast was highlighted in a recent BBC Wales article, however it’s been heartening to see councils such as Ceredigion and Denbighshire taking more sensitive approaches to managing verges.
Personally I have been enjoying the wildflowers in the local lanes and have enjoyed the progression that I have seen through all this nice weather (Ok except today) and I agree wholeheartedly that a bit less mowing is making the world a much nicer place and is of course a much better situation for wildlife. it will be interesting to see if there are longer term benefits from mowing less and I hope we can persuade our local councils to keep to this minimal mowing (only for safety and "do it once and clear the cuttings") approach
Here are a couple of local verges ...
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