Help us say no to the mow this May and build up a picture of unnecessary mowing and spraying of verges, parks, and other areas in Cardiff.
When verges are cut early in spring most flowers just don’t stand a chance. They never bloom and never become a food source for bees, butterflies, bats and other wildlife. When the cuttings are left behind, the additional nitrogen causes species like nettles and hogweed to take over, reducing floral diversity. We often hear that Cardiff council feel obliged to mow and spray as they receive so many emails from Cardiff residents complaining that unmown areas are untidy. We know that many, many people feel differently, and want to live in a wilder, greener, living city that values biodiversity.
Help us take action this May
Last year we created a beautiful pop up wildflower meadow from 700 pom poms made by community members to highlight all the species of native wildflower that are known to grow on roadside verges. This year we are mapping the mowing! We have created a map on which you can add markers and tell us about the green areas in your community that you would like to see managed differently. This could be your local park, a patch of green space on your street, by a school, or even a roadside verge – every bit of green space makes a difference!
So help us map the mowing – it’s as simple as:
ONE: Access our google map by clicking on this link. Or use bit.ly/mapthemowing.
TWO: Mark the location by clicking the ‘marker’ button (like an upside down raindrop’) and then click on the location on the map.
THREE: Name your location and add some description to tell us what happened/happens there and why you think it should have been managed differently.
Or if you prefer email or message us on social media with the location and what you would like to see change and we’ll add it to the map for you. Email becca@greensquirrel.co.uk. You can even send us pictures too.
At the end of May we’ll email this map to Cardiff council and ask them what they are willing to change. We hope that our council will listen to the voices of the community and act in the interest of people and planet.
What happened last year?
After our campaign last year Cardiff council announced 21 ‘one cut’ areas that will be left to flower throughout spring and summer with a cut in late summer or early autumn. This regime allows larger, slower plants a chance to grow and allows flowers to bloom, providing food for insects. Councillors have confirmed that these areas won’t impact sports pitches. And we have also noticed that some new signage has appeared at pollinator areas around Cardiff explaining how they’re being managed – brilliant!
This is a good start but we feel that there’s more our council can do and Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Cllr Peter Bradbury agrees, last year he said:
“But there’s still more to do, we know that. That’s why, among other things, we will continue to look at areas where we can further reduce our use of herbicides, explore options for introducing more pollinator friendly sites in the future, and later this year we will also be publishing our One Planet Strategy which will address the multiple challenges posed by climate change and loss of biodiversity.”
So we thought this map from Cardiff community members would help push this action forward and help identify additional areas in the city that can adopt the ‘one cut’ policy.
