Environmental protesters give 'No Mow Dacorum' a butterfly-shaped nudge

Extinction Rebellion Dacorum left Dacorum Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council a little creative reminder in Berkhamsted of the benefits of not cutting grass verges.

The group welcome Dacorum Borough Council’s No-Mow project, but are disappointed to find that in practice it seems to be surprisingly hard to turn off a lawnmower.

A spokesman for the group said: "Around the country through lockdown, verges have become the perfect home for pollinators like bees and butterflies as wildflowers have flourished.

"By communicating with supportive Town Councillors who are working on protecting such verges, and with DBC officers keen to implement the project here - https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/highways-roads-and-pavements/news-and-campaigns/verge-cutting-has-started.aspx - we have discovered a tangle of bureaucracy with Herts CC.

"Frustratingly, this tangle is defeating good intentions, and means that in practice many such wildlife corridors are being mown down all around the borough.

"We have offered to identify suitable No-Mow sites to add to the 34 selected by Herts, and wonder whether a Grass Tsar might be appointed to strim through the red tape.

"In the meantime we have decided to nudge action in a way that we hope is playful and will draw attention to failures to turn fine words into beautiful wildflowers.

"The stone butterfly we laid is to highlight the scientific fact that we are not only living through a Climate Emergency but an Ecological Emergency too.

"Biodiversity has been depleted and that threatens us all.

"We hope DBC and HCC will act fast to ensure that wildlife thrives here."

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: "Our position remains the same and all the information can be found under the ‘wildflowers’ section on the web page.

"There isn’t anything extra to add at this time as all the information on that page is up-to-date."

On the Hertfordshire County Council website, it says: "We intend to cut some roadside verges in rural areas in a different way to encourage the growth of wildflowers.

"These areas will be cut once a year, between mid-July and mid-August, with the grass cuttings removed.

"This will allow for the growth, flowering and seeding of wildflowers It will also prevent the verges from being dominated by more aggressive plant species. This will provide a better habitat for bees and other pollinating insects.

"We have identified 34 sites for this, mainly in North Hertfordshire where the soil is chalky and poor in nutrients. We may do some preparation to a further 11 sites too.

"The wildflower programme is dependent on the current social distancing rules being relaxed but, if needs be, the programme can be pushed back a month and completed in mid-September.

"It will take at least 2-3 more summers before wildflowers will be visible. As a result, some verges may appear overgrown or unmaintained in this first year, but this a natural part of the new habitat establishing itself.

"This new approach will contribute to the Sustainable Hertfordshire strategy, our ambitious programme to improve sustainability in the county."

Dacorum Borough Council was approached for comment, but we are yet to receive a response.