Will Covid-19 lockdown benefit wild flowers on our road verges?

Across the UK, roads have fallen eerily quiet as drivers observe lockdown. But it is not just the daily commute that has ceased. So has the drone of many councils’ mowers due to staff shortages. Less spring verge cutting – a silver lining to the coronavirus crisis – will benefit wild flowers and help tackle the climate emergency says Plantlife, Europe’s largest conservation charity dedicated to wild flowers.

We have 238,000 hectares of road verges compared to just 85,000 hectares of surviving species-rich grassland: for many wild flowers these roadside mini-meadows are their main refuge. Over 700 species of wildflowers grow on verges, nearly 45% of our total flora. Last year, Plantlife launched best practice management guidelines to help all councils get cutting right. Normally in early spring, the sound of verge mowers is a familiar blight: overly frequent cutting at the wrong time of year when species are in peak flowering – often simply to provide a neat and tidy appearance – has dramatically affected the health and diversity of these unassuming yet crucial habitats.

Once-familiar flowers are losing ground, unable to compete with the mower and thick thatch of cuttings it leaves behind, ‘enriching’ the verge and encouraging nitrogen-loving ‘thuggish’ species like nettles to take over. Plantlife highlights ten summer-flowering flowers that have sought refuge from our intensively farmed countryside on verges but are now declining there: oxeye daisy, yellow rattle, wild carrot, meadow crane’s-bill, greater knapweed, white campion, burnet-saxifrage, betony, harebell and field scabious. Will this summer be their best for years?

Overly frequent cutting regimes have another cost – driving up the UK’s carbon emissions. Plantlife research today reveals that cutting the 500,489 kilometres of rural road verge a not-untypical four times a year would generate 45,508 tonnes of CO2 in emissions from the engines of tractor mowers (which can generate ten times the emissions of passenger cars). The emissions generated by this widely adopted yet overzealous cutting regime is equivalent to:

• 26,340 barrels of oil consumed
• 5,641 tonnes of coal burned
• 1,450,717,056 charges of a smartphone

Almost 300 local authorities have declared a climate emergency and Plantlife is calling on all councils to cut superfluous cutting for good to bring down emissions from tractor mowers. Adopting Plantlife’s ‘twice is nice’ guidelines could see emissions reduced by 22,754 tonnes of CO2.

“In these incredibly challenging times and as horizons inevitably narrow, the wild flowers appearing on our waysides and road verges are an uplifting sight, contributing significantly to our wellbeing” says Dr Trevor Dines, Plantlife’s Botanical Specialist. “An unintended but understandable consequence of lockdown may be reduced mowing that has the potential to benefit wild plants and the bees, butterflies, birds, bats and bugs that depend on them for survival.”

“For too long, scalping verges in the pursuit of neatness has been flattening wild plant communities: When verges are cut early in spring – sometimes as early as April – most flowers just don’t stand a chance. Summer has been disappearing from verges as colourful flowers cannot set seed before the mowers strike. Electrifying orchids including early purple, bee, and pyramidal orchids, that once used light up many verges, are now hard to spot as early cutting has ripped through their seed pods before they can ripen. Felled before their prime their promise has been left to rot on the verge.”

“Road verges were once considered to be inconsequential litter-strewn ‘edgelands’ that had little value to wildlife” adds Ian Dunn, Plantlife’s Chief Executive. “But thanks in part to Plantlife’s energetic campaign, they are increasingly recognised as crucial biodiversity corridors that support a floral tapestry of wild flowers and the wealth of wildlife they underpin.”

“As we stay home to stay safe in these strange and difficult times an increasing number of people are discovering anew the beauty on their doorsteps and finding much solace in nature; those exercising daily on quiet lanes are recognising that well managed road verges provide an uplifting and heartening pop of vibrant colour that can lift even the weariest soul.”

“The research we release today demonstrates that less and later verge cutting regimes do not only benefit wildlife and our wellbeing but also contribute to the urgent need to address the climate emergency.”

“Verges are the last remaining habitats for some incredibly rare flowers like wood calamint” says Kate Petty, Plantlife’s Road Verge Campaign Manager. “We must redouble our efforts to save and protect these under-appreciated, yet abundant, strips. Thankfully the fix is startlingly straightforward: simply cutting verges less and later will save plants, money AND reduce emissions. We need to rewild ourselves and accept nature’s wonderful ‘messiness’”

Following Plantlife’s best practice guidelines to maintain and restore grassland verges will lead to more resilient verge habitats that offer numerous ecosystem benefits including increased pollination, carbon sequestration and flood alleviation. Trailblazing councils like Dorset, are showing the way forward. Their progressive less and later mowing approach is delivering significant financial savings and heart-warming botanical results – where verges were once soulless scorched strips they are now positively abounding with gems like bee orchids. Many other councils such as Herefordshire, Denbighshire, Shropshire and north Somerset are putting colour back in the countryside via improved road verge management. Almost 100,000 people have signed Plantlife’s petition calling for all councils’ management to better benefit wildflowers, wildlife and wellbeing.

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