Coronavirus lockdown could boost bloom of summer wild flowers, charity says

Wild flowers could bloom in their greatest number for years throughout the UK this summer because of councils cutting back on mowing services during the Covid-19 pandemic, experts have said.

Preliminary research released on Thursday by Plantlife, a conservation charity dedicated to wild flowers, has revealed that municipal mowing has been scaled-back in several parts of the country amid a nationwide lockdown rolled out in response to the crisis.

Authorities in South Somerset, Newcastle, Lincolnshire, Stockton-on-Tees and Wigan, among others, have all reduced grass cutting services.

That is partly due to staff shortages - with workers off sick, or self-isolating - and also linked to budgets being re-adjusted as local and national authorities race to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak.

But the changes stand to benefit plant growth and animals, according to Plantlife's team.

"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," said Trevor Dines, Plantlife's Botanical Specialist.

The UK’s more than 310,000 miles of rural road verges are a refuge for wild flowers squeezed out of the wider countryside, though often fall victim to frequent mowing which does not let them bloom and set seed.

Plantlife Chief Executive Ian Dunn said road verges were however being "increasingly recognised as crucial biodiversity corridors" and appreciated by Britons.

"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," he said.

"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 shift away from typically mowing the verges of rural roads, A-roads and motorways four times a year could also save large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions from the tractor mowers, Plantlife has claimed.

Reducing mowing to the “twice is nice” recommendations from the wildlife charity, cutting verges twice in late summer and autumn or once in autumn and once in early spring, could save 22,754 tonnes of carbon dioxide, it says.

The charity acknowledges the need for mowing in areas where it is needed for safety reasons, such as at junctions, and also says a one-metre mown strip immediately alongside the carriageway can help lower-growing plants.

But often the reason councils mow so much is because they believe their residents want the countryside to look neat and tidy, according to Mr Dines.

However, that attitude is beginning to change, he said.

"We have seen an upsurge in members of the public complaining that their councils are cutting the daisies," Mr Dines told the BBC.

"These sort of comments used to be outweighed by people complaining about untidy grass verges, but it seems as though the balance has shifted.

“Obviously we’re extremely worried about the Covid crisis and want it to end as quickly as possible. But if councils do change their methods because of the crisis, they might find it wins public support, which would be good for the future.”

Among the plants that could stand to bloom in greater numbers this summer amid reduced cutting services are the increasingly rare oxeye daisy, yellow rattle, wild carrot, meadow crane’s-bill and greater knapweed.

Others to have also sought refuge on verges in recent years but are now in decline - including white campion, burnet-saxifrage, betony, harebell and field scabious - could also prosper if left to flower in the coming months.