Wildflower Watch

The Council is looking to find the best roadside verges for wildlife within the county borough. We are asking you, as local residents, to send in your records of verges with colourful displays of wildflowers.

Some verges contain rare or scarce plants, and they provide a valuable habitat for wildlife such as insects, small mammals and birds. Verges can act as ‘wildlife corridors’, linking one wildlife area with another and often include a wide variety of habitats such as species-rich grasslands, heath, woodland, hedgerows and ditches.

The information that you provide will help us to locate verges that should be managed sympathetically for wildlife. For example, a single late summer cut of grassy verges will allow plants time to flower and set seed, which ensures flowering plants continue to thrive, providing nectar during the summer for butterflies and bees.

E-mail the Countryside and Landscape Service and tell us about the roadside verges in your area that are wildflower rich over the spring and summer.