Hundreds of species of wildflowers grow on road verges. These can range from spectacular displays of common wildflowers, such as vetches, buttercups and forget-me-nots, to rare and endangered orchids.
Road verges are often the last refuge for some of our most threatened wildflowers and fungi, as well as a multitude of other wildlife such as bees, bugs, butterflies, and birds and bugs. Small and cost-effective changes to road verge management can boost biodiversity.
A healthy road verge network helps wildlife move through towns and countryside, is a vital part of our natural heritage, and is a nature-based solution to climate change through providing urban cooling, trapping pollutants, and slowing water run-off.
Photos: © Alistair Whyte / Plantlife
Action Needed
- Promote Plantlife’s management guidelines for road verges, and encourage Local Authorities to adopt wildlife-friendly management techniques.
- Promote the inclusion of wildflower-rich road verges in Nature Networks.
- Recognise wildflower-rich road verges as nature-based solutions to climate change, and as important urban green infrastructure.
Threats
Rather than being wildflower-rich, lots of our road verges are monoculture grass and do little for wildlife. This is largely due to:
- the need for management changes to be made by Local Authorities e.g. collection of litter and grass cuttings
- a desire for ‘neatness’ and lack of awareness of biodiversity benefits
- nitrogen pollution harming the road verge plant life
MSP Nature Champion
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