Council Leader Cllr Barry Lewis, right, and Derbyshire Dales District Council Deputy Leader Cllr Peter Slack admire the cornflowers on the grass verge of Derby Road and Summer Lane, Wirksworth.
The verge, at the junction of Summer Lane and Derby Road in Wirksworth, used to be mowed six times a year. Now it is only being mowed later in the year and the grass cuttings removed so that any local species are given the opportunity to flower and produce seeds.
The plant survey conducted last year by the district council identified 28 different species of wildflower in the grass verge on Summer Lane - an increase of 16 new species from the 12 plants identified in July 2021. Summer Lane is a great example of a community-managed wildflower verge - Wilder Wirksworth were one of the first community groups to embrace the biodiversity project three years ago.
Although it is our duty to maintain verges, the district and borough councils have provided grass cutting services for many years.
Derbyshire Dales District Council are working with us on a pilot project to let verges flower and mow them much later in the year.
Council Leader Councillor Barry Lewis, said:
“In UK we have lost 97% of our wildflower meadows since the 1930s. The loss of traditional wildflower meadows is profoundly connected to the biodiversity crisis we are now facing.
“So we want to do all we can to protect wildflower meadows, and our pilot project is looking to do just that.
“As highways authority our duty is to ensure that the roads are safe and accessible for all, and we need to balance the needs of nature with making sure we are not reducing visibility, which we think this pilot project does do.
“In some cases, the roadside verges are the only remnants of the old meadows as they travel through large areas of intensively managed agricultural land. The ancient seed bank is there but the short mowing regime is preventing those plants from flourishing.
“I’m grateful for the support from our district council colleagues and look forward to seeing what difference the new mowing regimes will have.”
Derbyshire Dales District Council's Deputy Leader Councillor Peter Slack, who is also a member of the Wilder Wirksworth Biodiversity Group, said:
“We have welcomed the opportunity to work with the County Council and community groups across the Dales to promote and nurture wildflower displays, creating a valuable source of pollen and nectar for native pollinators.
"We have prepared 110 biodiversity sites this year on road verges and also in open spaces we manage. And there’s more to come. We are absolutely committed to further enhance biodiversity in the district's varied landscape with more rewilding."
The Derbyshire road verges project is gathering evidence and information which will help councillors to make an informed decision about a new policy for highway verge management later this year.