Campaign for Natural Verges

[speckled wood]

Following on my my comments in the "Re-wilding Thread

on our wanderings how many of us go along country lanes to find hundreds of yards of verges neatly mown and manicured by residents of nearby houses and cottages? it may look "nice" to them but all we are seeing really is a bland (and mishapen bit of lawn). Actually as I understand it is illegal to do this yet local councils do little if anything to discourage it

Thankfully the Flail Mowing policies of the 1970s have ended but in many places verges are being wrecked by local residents going out and neating mowing not just the bit of verge in front of their property but also often long stretched to each side and over the road which are not on the boundaries of their properties, as I understand it an illegal practice. So how about a campaign for wildlife friendly verges and a little action in promoting this idea and perhaps raising the issue with local councils?

[paulthomas]

Originally Posted by speckled wood

and perhaps raising the issue with local councils?

It's unlikely to be anything to do with the local councl unless you live in a metropolitan area with a single tier council structure. In most rural areas (which is where most verges are) the county council is the highways authority and you would probably be better off directing your concerns to them.

[Earth Hart]

With a glass of Hind's Breath in my hand I raise a toast to the CNV Damn good idea!! As Paul's mentioned, out in the sticks it's the CC & Highways Dept. Need to get the village/parish councils on board though.

[Susie]

Sounds like a little bit of re-education is in need. Once people appreciate what a little patch of grass and wild flowers can support they might be a bit keener on leaving it be.

________________________________________

Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.

[Airehead]

It might be different in your part of the world, but where I have seen it, it has not been very significant compared with the greater extent of wild verges away from the houses.

[Susie]

I shall bow to your greater knowledge, cos where I live there aren't really any natural verges.

I would like to think that every little helps though.
__________________________________

Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.

[Earth Hart]

I think it might be a good idea to get WABers to do a survey of their local patch so we can see if there are differences in the regions and to what extent the verges are maintained.

You're right Susie, every little helps, as the sig. at the bottom of this post states.

Is there enough of us who would be prepared to tackle this? Could we set up a "grass verge photo gallery, the best & the worst, even nameing & shameing?

[Susie]

Hell yeah! I'm game if you are, Earth Hart

[Earth Hart]

Originally Posted by Susie

Hell yeah! I'm game if you are, Earth Hart

Steady on there girl, you don't know me from Adam but I'm flattered.
Well that makes two of us, any more out there?

[eeyore]

I could do , but since we maintain all the verge and grid road landscape in this city I fear it would fall into verbotten self promotion.

[Susie]

Oh go on, you know you want to.

[eeyore]

We have rather a lot of grid road - for instance it encompasses more woodland edge habitat than the new forest !

[NigelT]

Very interesting concept this.

I've been running a personal campaign in my company for additional green spaces in developments which run something along this line as most of the schemes I am involved in are vernacular and country based. (Brown field not green field developments) But L.A. density levels prohibit much open space and L.A's don't want to take on small areas of landscape either.

Sounds a bit off track to talk about new verges rather than reforming existing I know, but I am appalled by the strict mown and uninterested street landscapes which abound throughout developed areas. In North Somerset where I live it seems that if its not mown down to bare earth its covered with concrete or paving.

How nice it would be if town and country verges were planted out in native species. Mind, I suspect they could provide repositories for coke cans and crisp bags but that's another issue.

In regards to country verges, I agree it would be nice to see them less mown and 'managed' and more of a haven for Rabbits and wild plants. I know of a verge which has not just been mown but enclosed by a fence incorporating it into someones country garden including the rhyne bank ! Surely that's not legal is it? Yet it has been done and on a blind bend of a narrow country road at that.

Biggest problem is not all people see things as we who are interested in all things wild do and there will always be those who will complain at 'unkempt verges'. The same type who move imto the countryside and moan about the smell and noise of cattle etc. I suspect.

Legislation is needed I would guess. Perhaps Authorities could see the benefits by the saving of money from reduced maintenance - that should appeal and some of that saving could go into planting with wild flowers. How nice it would be if the countryside was lined with wild flowers as in Cornwall for intstance. Oh, and bring back hedge layering I say and get rid of those aweful hedge cutting machines which slash through everything.

If it is a likely movement to follow, I would take some pics of verges locally good and bad for the file. Probably best in spring though when wild flowers come out.

[littleT]

Originally Posted by NigelT

Very interesting concept this.

.............
Legislation is needed I would guess. Perhaps Authorities could see the benefits by the saving of money from reduced maintenance - that should appeal and some of that saving could go into planting with wild flowers. How nice it would be if the countryside was lined with wild flowers as in Cornwall for intstance. Oh, and bring back hedge layering I say and get rid of those aweful hedge cutting machines which slash through everything.
...............

Beat me to it.
I was going to say the same thing about those hedge machines.

The local verge's are pretty wild, but the dog walkers trample them!!! Dogs!!
(Don't get me wrong, I have a dog myself, again it's a case of the minority)

and the majority are ditches, and they tend to go muddy when you head down the country lanes, where two cars mount the verge in order to pass one another. It is a shame that these simple little areas could be so much nicer.

[eeyore]

We try to lay as many hedges as possible - though once a hedge has been un touched for 20+ years it can get a bit big to lay - also hedges that have previously been topped with hedge flails need to be left untouched for 5 plus years to get sufficient length which can lead to sight line issues.

[WildGarlic]

What a great idea - we are in the countryside and last year I was almost brought to tears by the state that the flail mower had made of the verge - I know it needs maintenance but that just destroys it all.

Have you read the Roadside Wildlife book by Richard Mabey - if you haven't, I strongly recommend it. It was written in the 70s but it's still relevant reading now...

Up here one of the verges was adopted by the Hedgedoctors who took over the maintenance of it... The Hedge Doctors: Home Page - it looks a little out of date now, but it just shows what can be done.

[Airehead]

I have been looking at verges since this thread was initiated. I find that near my home the verges are mown on the small rural roads outside the town in a strip about 1 foot wide. This leaves anything from 1 to 3 feet untouched (except by fly tippers). The result is a wider variety of plants, since some sprout quickly through the mown grass.
In the residential areas where verges occur outside houses or gardens, some of the residents mow them. Considering the miles of verges outside the town, I don't think this matters. In fact the unmown verges in these localities are a mess.
I have just observed that even in a remote Scottish crofting village, the verges are mown to about a foot from the road edge. In the midst of thousands of square miles of wilderness I don't think it matters in the least.

[snowdrop]

I am happy to say when making your way out of this concrete city to the nearest town, you are greeted by roadside swathes of poppies, cornflowers and white, purple and yellow flowers-which I''m unable to identify due to the speed of the traffic. Its a joy to see. If only there were more. Thank you to the town gardeners, and those who sanctioned the scheme.

[Fritillary]

As somebody said, it is all re-education even for the own gouvernment.

I think it should be volunteer work that promote leave wild areas in most of places. Even a part of a garden will be perfect. Stop of promoting the "ugly japanese gardens" (Yes ugly because it is just destroying all vegetation to put just stones and water). As well instead of fine everybody, they should encourage people to have wild areas.

I live around Ascot, Berks. and in summer cycling to my job, I was enjoying the wild flowers along the roads (it is not urban, there are some houses but not more.) However there are workers trying to "clean and do pretty" the pavements and destroy all the branches. All insects, all birds are being destroyed slowly like that.

And later it is said that birds and insects are diminishing and nobody knows why I think nobody wants to move a finger. That is all.

Another thing is with the new flats building everywhere. By law and fines, they should be obliged to have green areas and plant natives trees. I feel very upset that the old houses with wide gardens are being destroyed to put a flat with a lot of stones everywhere (the parking) and planting exotic species, not food for animals either.

Maybe my question is naive, but why nobody see that? Campaigns like RSPB just say in the web page how to feed birds and give money to protect wild places but nothing else. The few times I have seen one of these organisations out of a supermarket it is just asking for money.


Yes sometimes I just get angry, I cannot do more

[lol geoff]

Originally Posted by Earth Hart

I think it might be a good idea to get WABers to do a survey of their local patch so we can see if there are differences in the regions and to what extent the verges are maintained.

You're right Susie, every little helps, as the sig. at the bottom of this post states.

Is there enough of us who would be prepared to tackle this? Could we set up a "grass verge photo gallery, the best & the worst, even nameing & shameing?

Well I keep mine trimmed. So there's one name for your revolution. I'll look forward to my visit from the verge police.

[Tormentil]

The Lincs Wildlife Trust manages 64 roadside verges. Perhaps more local Wildlife Trusts should liase with their councils to do the same.

Verges managed by the LWT