Flower-rich verges in the North Pennines A call to action

Flower-rich verges in the North Pennines
A call to action
Ninety-eight per cent of flower-rich grasslands have disappeared from the UK over the past 70 years.
However, a network of narrow wildflower-rich grassland still extends across the North Pennines – our road
verges. But these important places tend to be overlooked,
undervalued and poorly managed.
Linear meadows
The North Pennines is known for some of the most
spectacular flower-rich upland hay meadows in the country.
Managed traditionally to provide over-winter fodder for sheep
and cattle, these meadows are home to a host of colourful
and distinctive plants: wood crane’s-bill, great burnet, Lady’s
mantle and meadow saxifrage to name but a few. With only
900ha thought to remain in the UK, of which 350ha is in the
North Pennines, this is a vanishingly scarce habitat.
Many of the plants that are characteristic of upland
hay meadows also grow in the adjacent road verge
and the two would once have appeared as a
continuous sweep of colourful vegetation. With the
progressive intensification of agriculture, however,
there has been a steady loss of wildflowers from the
meadows and the value of our verges as a final refuge
for once common plants is becoming all too apparent.
Who cares for verges?
Many people value their local flower-rich verges and
visitors to the North Pennines delight in roadsides that
froth with meadowsweet or are edged blue by meadow
crane’s-bill. In times past, verges were a valuable
source of fodder and would have been grazed by
livestock. They would also have been regularly walked
by ‘lengthsmen’ who were responsible for monitoring
and maintaining road verges between individual
communities. Both these practices ceased long ago. In
the North Pennines the responsibility for verge
management now rests with the local authorities:
Durham, Cumbria and Northumberland County
Councils.
Damaged and neglected
Local authorities have a duty to maintain visibility alongside roads and at junctions so typically cut a one
metre strip along the edge of verges and ‘visibility splays’ at junctions at least once during the summer
months. Some authorities have further policies connected to the management of flower-rich verges but
there is increasing evidence that even the best verges are
suffering from damage and neglect:
If the full width of the verge is not cut and the cuttings
removed at least once every 3-4 years, the vegetation
becomes rank and dominated by plants such as nettles,
rush and bramble.
Salt and grit heaps placed on flower-rich verges destroy
the vegetation completely.
Repeated cutting of the verge leads to the loss of
wildflowers altogether.
Garden waste dumped on
verges smothers plants and
raises the soil fertility, both of
which result in the loss of
wildflowers.
Within villages, spraying
with herbicides kills wild
plants which are
important for nectarfeeding insects like
bumblebees, honeybees
and butterflies.
A national call to action
The progressive loss of wildflowers from our countryside has resulted in a steady decline in many of the
creatures that depend on them, most notably pollen and nectar-feeders like bumblebees and butterflies.
This issue is now recognised as of national concern. Through its campaign ‘Flowers on the Edge’, the
charity Plantlife is encouraging local authorities to manage road verges following three simple guidelines:
1. Cut the full width of the verge once a year, no earlier than the end of August and no later
than the end of March. Where a road passes through woodland, cutting should be carried out
no later than the end of January.
2. Between the beginning of April and the end of August, do not cut the verge except to
maintain sight-lines or for other road-safety purposes.
3. Gather and remove cuttings wherever possible.
Action in the North Pennines
Flower-rich verges in the North Pennines are declining and are under threat. Appendix 1 shows the location
of our ‘top ten’ most flower-rich verges. You can help by:

Taking note of the location of other flower-rich verges and letting the North Pennines AONB
Partnership know about them.

Keeping a ‘diary’ of verge management. We are keen to encourage diaries for the ‘top ten’
verges listed below but diaries for any flower-rich verge would be valuable. A template for
keeping a verge diary can be found in Appendix 2.

Encouraging local authorities to follow the ‘Flowers on the Edge’ guidelines detailed above.
North Pennines AONB Partnership
1 Martin Street
Stanhope
Bishop Auckland
Co. Durham
DL13 1NT
Tel: 01388 528801
Web: www.northpennines.org.uk
Email: rebecca@northpenninesaonb.org.uk
May 2015
Appendix 1.
Appendix 2.
‘Top ten’ flower-rich verges in the North Pennines
North Pennines AONB flower-rich verge management recording form
North Pennines AONB Flower-rich Verge Management Recording Form
Verge location
County:
Nearest town/village:
Grid reference:
Beginning:
Plant species noted:
Diary of verge management
1m safety strip cut
1 cut
Date:
Full width cut
No full width cut
2nd cut
Date:
Full width cut
3rd cut
Date:
Cuttings removed Yes/No
st
Other comments:
Your name:
Date:
Year:
Salt/grit heaps
No grit heaps
Grit heaps well
placed
Grit heaps poorly
placed
End: