PLANTLIFE
ROAD VERGE CAMPAIGN
2019 Update on
Murton’s Contribution
Red Campion amongst Creeping Buttercup
with Cow Parsley in the background
Murton makes a small but valuable contribution to this national scheme to protect biodiversity in the environment.
WHY? It’s staggering but true - nearly 97% of the country’s meadows have vanished since 1950! This means that the common roadside verge is now vital to the survival of almost half of the UK’s flora. And where wildflowers lead, the rest of nature follows with bees, butterflies, birds, bats and bugs. Or to put it another way, without this essential roadside verge campaign, we’ll keep on losing more and more of our wildlife.
Cowslips (Moor Lane)
WHERE? We’ve been working for a few years on the stretch of wide verge running down Moor Lane towards the pond. Being raised, this is protected from excessive road water and, being more visible, can be enjoyed by walkers, residents and passing motorists.
HOW? We’re encouraging natural wild flowers, but they still need a little help to thrive. In particular:
1. As with all wildflower meadows, the area looks ‘untidy’ for short periods of the year. This is all part of the natural cycle of the flowering plants (and the wildlife that they support). It is crucial to allow nature to do its thing and not to intrude with grass cutters at these times.
2. We DO cut the grass but only at the proper times – late June/early July to about 3 inches (the hay cut), and then a low cut in October.
It’s happening all over the UK!
Bee Orchid (Moor Lane)
WHO? The work itself is done by volunteers. But everyone helps simply by supporting the scheme and being patient during the naturally untidy times. And of course all those extra bees attracted by the cowslips, orchids, buttercups and red campion return the favour when they pollinate our own flowers and vegetables!
To find out more, please contact the Clerk to the Parish Council, Alastair McFarlane.
Hay cutting in mid-summer
Please come and help!
[from the official guidance we follow]
“Collection of clippings: On all grassy verges of wildlife importance, it very beneficial to gather and remove grass cuttings, either by hand or by use of suitable cut-and-collect machinery. This will reduce the build of up organic material (i.e. a thatch of cut grass), keep nutrient levels low, and ensure plenty of bare ground for plants to regenerate from seed. Studies have shown this to be a major factor in maintaining verge biodiversity. Cuttings from wildflower-rich verges can be used as green hay to benefit other local verges, meadows or grasslands.”
Find out more: www.plantlife.org.uk