Bookham’s Wild Flower Verges You may have noticed some lovely wild flowers blooming along our roadsides recently including the lovely display of small pink orchids in the centre of Bookham along the A246. 28 separate blooms were counted in July although only a couple persisted into August. Wild flower enthusiasts and the Bookhams Residents’ Association, working with Surrey County Council, have put in place a reduced mowing scheme along 3 areas of the A246 and soon you will see Blue Hearts appear to signify that these areas are being maintained for wild flowers and their much needed bees, butterflies and other essential ground force workers. The council has also instituted a more insect friendly mowing regime: they mow 1 metre alongside roads and footpaths for sight lines, and leave central areas of wide verges cut less frequently. With this we have seen an explosion of blossom from primroses and cowslips to alkanet, ox-eye daisies, cow parsley, yarrow, poppies and our lovely pink orchids to name a few. In Rectory Lane The Grange has reduced mowing along a section of their frontage and already has seen a diversity of wild flowers popping up. Many residents are following suit with wild flower swathes on Barn Meadow Lane green, the top of Woodlands Road and outside private homes. If you would like to include a bee friendly area near you, look at the Blue Heart scheme on bluecampaignhub.com or contact us for help in getting council reduced mowing put into place.
Whilst the majority of our regular sized verges will still be neatly cut, the wider unmown expanses will help our wildlife and wild flowers to flourish. The wild flower verges will be cut once a year in autumn. The mowings will be left in place for a few days to allow seed to drop, then will be collected up by volunteers for recycling. If you would like to get involved, contact Diane or Frances on 0300 030 9890.
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