Say NO to the MOW

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. Many councils are making clear changes to the way they manage verges, roundabouts, cemeteries, and parks, and using the charity Plantlife’s mowing guidelines to support biodiversity. Yet here in Cardiff we see and hear the mowers out and about already, despite the coronavirus crisis. Each year we see  patches of dead yellow vegetation where plants have been sprayed with glyphosate. 

We often hear that the 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.

We’re asking Cardiff council, schools, and businesses to mow later, mow less, and leave the weeds alone. Will you join us? 

What’s the plan?

700 species of native wildflower are known to grow on roadside verges - that’s 45% of total UK species. We want to create a crafty pop up wildflower patch featuring at least 700 colourful pom poms to represent these species. We’ll be using this community creation to show our council that many Cardiff residents find less tidy verges beautiful and valuable, and would like to see mowing and spraying practices changed to promote greater biodiversity in the city. 

How can I get involved? There are 3 steps to getting involved:

Step one: Make some pom poms! If you’ve never made one before we’ve created a quick, simple video tutorial of our favourite easy method. Take a picture of your pom pom/s and share on social media, tagging Cardiff council. Use our template message below or write your own:

I’ve created this wildflower to represent one of the 700 native species that thrive on verges and other grassy areas. I’m asking @CardiffCouncil to cut less, and cut later because [add your reason here!] #SayNoToTheMow

Step two: Send us your pom pom/s! We’ll add them to a beautiful blanket representing a patch of wildflowers left to thrive, and we’ll be deploying this artwork around Cardiff once it’s safe to do so! Make sure to include your name and email address so we can update you on the progress and any outcomes of the project.

Please send your pom poms to Green Squirrel, 20 Railway Street, Cardiff, CF24 2DG

Step three: Add your name to our open letter to the council. This sets out what we’re asking for and why. Please add your name here: bit.ly/saynotothemow

You can also help this campaign spread far and wide by telling others about it and sharing this link: https://www.greencityevents.co.uk/say-no-to-the-mow/

And join the campaign on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1539671432904178/

Why is mowing such a big deal? Here are six reasons explaining why we’re asking Cardiff Council, schools and businesses to change their mowing and spraying practices:

One: To protect pollinators: Insect numbers are plummeting. Britain has lost 20 species of bee since 1990, another 35 species are under threat of becoming extinct. 2/3rds of moth species and 71% of butterfly species are in decline. Habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change are the key causes. But - just one hectare of flower-rich road verge (and for context, the UK has 238,000 hectares) can produce 60kg of nectar sugar – enough to support more than six million honeybees.

Two: To increase floral diversity: 97% of ancient wild flower meadows have been destroyed since the 1930s and there has been a 20% drop in floral diversity on road verges since just 1990 - yet verges, roundabouts, and parks can support masses of wildlife. 700 species of native wildflowers are known to grow on road verges. A single species, the birds foot trefoil plant, can support 130 different species of invertebrate. 

Three: To improve resident satisfaction: 81% of the public back calls for councils to help by cutting areas of grass less to allow wild flowers to grow. A project in Saltdean found that 97% of park visitors were in favour of managing the area differently to support wildlife. 

Four: To save public money: Through their ‘Re-Thinking Parks’ project, Brunely Council (one of the most deprived areas in the UK) saved £58,000 initially plus a further £43,000 each year.

Five: To fight climate change. Plantlife have found that if all UK councils reduced their mowing to twice a year it would reduce CO2 emissions by 22,754 tonnes a year. 

Six: To uphold the rights of future generations: The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 places a duty on Local Authorities to deliver against 7 well-being goals including ‘A resilient Wales’ which is defined as a nation which maintains and enhances a biodiverse natural environment with healthy functioning ecosystems.