More wildflowers are set to bloom across the city and this year and now local residents can find out where.
The council has put together an interactive map of the whole city which shows exactly where designated wildflower meadows have been created and the places where wildflowers will be left to grow naturally.
It follows last year’s successful trial of leaving a few verges and boundaries in certain areas of the city to grow wilder.
Some of the results were spectacular with wonderful patches of colour appearing where once there was just green.
A council spokesperson said:
“Of course, just as last year, we won’t be letting everything grow wild. We will continue to keep the parks and open spaces that are so vital to people’s wellbeing managed. This will make sure that they provide great places to visit and we’ll still need to cut some areas to ensure that roads are safe.
“Where we’ve got grassy areas that are of more use to wildlife than people, like steep banks and verges, we’ll be cutting around the edges and then leaving the rest to grow wild. We’ll then cut them later in the year to allow more types of plant a chance to grow.”
The map shows all of the grass that the council is responsible for maintaining around the city and also pinpoints the designated wildflower meadows. Teams have spent time seeding and maintaining these and we can’t wait to see them bloom!
Details can be found at www.plymouth.gov.uk/parksnatureandgreenspaces/wildflowermeadows
“This strategy is just one of a number of ways that we are trying to do things a bit differently to help the environment and tackle the climate emergency”, said Councillor Sue Dann, Cabinet member for Street Scene and Environment.
“In 2021, we’ll be building on last year’s success, where we began to tip the balance by increasing the grassland managed for nature from 15 per cent to 40 per cent. I can’t wait to see the blooming purples, yellows, blues and pinks; a city awash with colour that not only looks beautiful, but also creates homes for the wildlife vital to our fight against climate change.”
Further information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/NaturePlymouth/
