DCC no longer cutting grass verges, reasoning…..biodiversity.

awec with respect, you live in Northern Ireland — where I'm almost certain they did it wrong.

Yeah but that's not how it should work. It's not about "leaving things wild" entirely, it's about seasonal mowing, trying to not over-mow, and avoiding doing it at all during Spring snd Summer.

We did that a few yrs ago (out of laziness) we have a very mossy garden...anyway we ended up with beeorchids . The following year we ended up with more bee orchids and pyramid orchids. Last year we had been orchids, pyramid orchids,marsh orchids and spotted orchids.

We always have an abundance of clover, red clover and self heal.

Anyway roll on this year, himself cut the grass end of April/start of May I thought we'd be safe enough, but sadly no, not an orchid to be seen.

I'll be making sure the grass gets a good final cut in September so it'll hold.

I grew up rural, as a very young child wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt I fell in to large bunch of nettles outside the front gate. I was stung from head to toe. I'm biased against nettles.

What I don't buy is that we need exactly these kind of bugs that go with exactly that kind of plant. I know the county is awash with nettles. I never claimed to be an expert. Call me 'questioning'.

edit:typo

That's exactly how it work, specific plants for specific insects and animals. The rarer the plant the rarer the dependant species.

On another point, the sort of meadows which people find so attractive are full of anuals and to maintain that sort of meadow requires constantly stripping the topsoil to create maximum disturbance. It's very expensive and labour intensive and only really appropriate where disturbed ground is been rehabilitated.

The long term management of meadows requires either grazing or hay cutting. It can take centuries to achieve peak species diversity.

Excuse the source but it seems Glasgow aren’t doing it for biodiversity, just to save money.

https://www.thesun.ie/fabulous/11166205/mum-grass-row-council-children-hayfever

Even the trinity "wildflower meadow " is a complete mess now and they actually ripped up the lawn and put down wildflower sod to try and achieve it. It wasn't just a case of letting the grass grow long. The vigorous weeds like thistles and docks have established themselves and anyone knows these are very difficult to get out with the big tap roots.

It's ridiculous looking right in the middle of prime city real estate. With the dead grass seed heads falling over onto the statue plinths. Why is everyone else not doing it. I don't see "wildflower meadows " in front of the white house or Westminster or even the rheistag . It's just ridiculous virtue signalling rather than true restoring wildernesses. Afterall the government is toying with the idea of relaxing rules for one off housing even after the proliferation of these during the boom and still it is a substantial percentage of new houses

Nope, its not the hedgerow that is growing out. Its a verge that is grass and brambles literally 2 foot of grass and thorns then there is a drop of a ditch then the hedgerow. They are allowed to cut the verge. Get off your high horse and understand that there is a safety issue here not just biodiversity.