Seeds Of Controversy

Local councils and institutions are transforming road verges into rivers of owers – and saving money while they do it. But are these sown ‘meadows’ any good for pollinators and other wildlife?

- Amy-Jane Beer

There’s a grim and oft-repeated statistic: since the 1930s, our traditional wildflower meadows have declined by 97 per cent, pushing many grassland species to the verge of extinction. So, while Britain may still be largely green, it is not nearly so pleasant – for wildlife or wildlife lovers.

Meanwhile, the botanical conservation charity Plantlife estimates that the 500,000km of rural road verge in the UK is equivalent in area to roughly half the remaining flower-rich grassland and meadow in the country. It points out that these ubiquitous strips of habitat could be important refuges for a huge range of familiar and rare native plants and the diverse animal communities they support, including beleaguered butterflies and vital pollinators, not to mention bats and birds.

Advocates for nature have long bemoaned a needless obsession with tidiness and clumsy management of verges by poorly trained contractors. It is perhaps understandable that the interests of wildlife come a poor third to considerations of road safety and budget. Driver sightlines are of paramount importance, and for cash-strapped local authorities lacking in time and expertise, it’s not surprising that maintenance regimes are often far from sensitive, involving regular mowing and dousing with herbicides, in most cases.

But now ecologists have a new concern over verge management – and, at first glance, it seems a surprising one. An explosion of colour along roadsides in several UK cities this summer was replicated in the media, with the riotous displays – often in otherwise unprepossessing locations – described as ‘wildflower meadows’. They were widely celebrated for their powerful visual impact and the resource they provide to pollinating insects.