At a recent Britain in Bloom conference I attended earlier this year, there was a focus on rewilding some green spaces to give wildlife a place to live and thrive, and wrote about it here
,As part of our It's Your Neighbourhood (IYN) entry to Britain in Bloom, there is a 'natural environment' category: within this category we have to consider how the natural environment is managed supporting a large variety of flora and fauna, with great biodiversity and provision for rewilded areas.
When you start to think about our green spaces, and how we manage them, it becomes obvious that if we mow all grass regularly, we don't allow plants in there to flower, and so deny insects access to their nectar and prevent them being able to complete their life cycles. Since recently being elected a parish councillor for Old Town, I have joined committees looking at how we manage our green spaces, it's refreshing to find how many other people are interested in exploring how we can increase our wild areas.
I have identified one area near Croft School, and asked if it could be left unmown. Here are some photographs of the wild flowers present in the grass.
Above huge Nettles
Below there's Common Vetch
Above Buttercups
Below a dock plant
Above Ribwort Plantain and below Fumitory
I think the yellow flower below might be a Vetch or Trefoil
The blue flowers below are Germander Speedwell
Soil was imported from elsewhere when the school was built, and because it's a bank, has been mown less than other areas, so the flowers have survived over the years.
In certain places, blue hearts painted on recycled wood have been placed in areas left to become wild to indicate they are not just being neglected, but it's being done for a reason. I'm hoping we can place blue hearts throughout Swindon.
,As part of our It's Your Neighbourhood (IYN) entry to Britain in Bloom, there is a 'natural environment' category: within this category we have to consider how the natural environment is managed supporting a large variety of flora and fauna, with great biodiversity and provision for rewilded areas.
When you start to think about our green spaces, and how we manage them, it becomes obvious that if we mow all grass regularly, we don't allow plants in there to flower, and so deny insects access to their nectar and prevent them being able to complete their life cycles. Since recently being elected a parish councillor for Old Town, I have joined committees looking at how we manage our green spaces, it's refreshing to find how many other people are interested in exploring how we can increase our wild areas.
I have identified one area near Croft School, and asked if it could be left unmown. Here are some photographs of the wild flowers present in the grass.
In certain places, blue hearts painted on recycled wood have been placed in areas left to become wild to indicate they are not just being neglected, but it's being done for a reason. I'm hoping we can place blue hearts throughout Swindon.
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