• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Fordingbridge Town Council

Fordingbridge Town Council

Fordingbridge Town Council

Facebook

01425 654560

  • Home
  • Town Council
    • Your Town Council
      • Introduction
      • Areas of Responsibility
      • Your Councillors
      • The Role of a Councillor
      • Register for Members Interests
      • Elections
      • Projects
    • Meeting, Agendas & Minutes
      • Meetings & Committees
      • Annual Council
      • General Council
      • Annual Town Assembly Minutes
      • Planning
      • Amenities
      • Finance & Policy
      • General Purposes
      • Staff & Remuneration
      • Representatives to Community and Local Organisations
      • Transport
    • Policy & Admin
      • Finance
      • Grants
      • Policy and Procedures
    • Staff & Recruitment
  • Community
    • Services
      • Town Hall and Grounds Hire
      • Allotments
      • Cemetery
      • Other Services
    • Play Areas & Open Spaces
      • All Play Areas & Open Spaces
      • Fishing on the River Avon
    • Local Information
      • Defibrillator Locations
      • Electric car charging points
      • Foodbank
      • Fordingbridge Town Council Welcome
      • Local Groups and Societies
      • NFDC Local Plan
      • Queen’s Platinum Jubilee events
      • Places of Worship
      • Schools
        • School Events
      • The New Forest National Park
      • Twinning Association
  • Neighbourhood Plan
  • Useful Links
  • Calendar
  • News
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / News / Road verges are one of the most important, best loved and frequently viewed habitats in the country…

Road verges are one of the most important, best loved and frequently viewed habitats in the country…

8th July 2015

So why are they still being destroyed?

A new Plantlife study shows that Britain’s road verges are home to 703 species of wild plants, more than in any other part of our landscape, and 87 of them are either threatened with extinction or heading that way.

In addition, 88% of these wild plants provide nectar and pollen for bees and other insects, making road verges essential refuges for insect life; bird’s-foot trefoil alone is a food plant for 132 species of insect.

In addition, 21 of the 25 Nation’s Favourite Wildflowers grow on road verges.

From cowslips and bluebells in spring to swathes of cow parsley and ox-eye daisies in early summer, our verges are home to most of the 25 favourite wild flowers as voted for by the public.

And with 30 million drivers in the UK, they’re the most frequently viewed habitat too, providing many people with their only regular daily contact with nature.

But in much of Britain road verges are still being needlessly cut down in full flower threatening the wildflowers and the wildlife that depend on them.

Many councils have already started cutting verges – much too early in the year for flowers to be able set seed, and greatly reducing one of the most important food banks for our ailing bees and other pollinators.

Dr Trevor Dines, Plantlife’s Botanical Specialist, explains, “Over 97% of meadows have been destroyed in England since the 1930s.

In many areas, rural road verges are the last remaining stretches of natural habitat for our wildlife. Road safety is the absolute priority, but we know that verges can be managed better for wildlife whilst remaining safe for motorists.

This means adopting some simple changes to management – like a delay in cutting to allow seed to be set – so that wildflowers can thrive”.

Plantlife has produced new management guidelines and is urging the public to sign a petition asking local councils to adopt them.

Some councils are leading the way.

Trials in Dorset, for example, are investigating how to combat the over-vigorous growth of grass on fertile verges (which is both detrimental to wildflowers and obscures driver sight-lines), by stripping turf, using semi-parasitic yellow rattle to stunt grass growth and even grazing verges with sheep.

Plantlife is helping to showcase the work of councils like Dorset to show others that it can be done.

Our guidelines are being currently being applied to 11,700 km of verge covering 2,300 hectares of verges – that’s equivalent to 2.5 times the area of remaining upland hay meadow in the UK – and with the public’s support we can do even more.

Dr Dines adds, “If we just give them a chance, wildflowers can return. Meadow crane’s-bill was once widespread in meadows – hence its name – but is now more commonly found on road verges.

It spreads readily when cutting is delayed and it’s allowed to set seed. Maybe it’s time to change its name to “verge crane’s-bill”.

 

Filed Under: News

Footer

Fordingbridge Information Office
Kings Yard,
23 Salisbury Street,
Fordingbridge,
SP6 1AB

Opening hours:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday
10:00am – 4:00pm (excluding public holidays)
Tuesday and Thursday
Email and Phone Support only
(there is no public access)

Visit The Information Office page for further details.

Contact Us

T: 01425 654560
E:

Stay Connected

Visit our Facebook

Information

Accessibility

Policies

Copyright © 2023 · Fordingbridge Town Council · Developed by Seemore Graphics

Cookie Consent
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorised as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo