More East Devon green spaces and verges allowed to grow to promote biodiversity

East Devon District Council's Streetscene has increased the number of green spaces and verges where they are letting the grass grow between April and September to enable nature to flourish.

Allowing grass to grow at selected sites means less CO2 emissions caused by mowing, and more habitats for insects and wildlife.

Enabling vegetation to flower provides essential nectar for bees and pollinators, aiding nature and biodiversity across the district.

Carefully selected sites are being balanced with more tightly-mown areas that are maintained for safety, sport, recreation, and amenity purposes.

Future plans will see Streetscene expand the list of re-natured areas further, following consultation with local residents.

Machinery has been invested in, that will help to cut and scarify these spaces, transforming them from long grass to wildflower areas in the future.

Tom Wood, Streetscene operations manager, said: "I'm delighted that we are expanding the number of areas within our green spaces that we leave uncut for nature and wildlife during the mowing season.

"These critical habitats provide nature recovery corridors for insects and pollinators to thrive and survive. Over time we will develop these areas into wildflower meadows, providing stunning displays and boosting biodiversity."

Residents and visitors are encouraged to look out for longer vegetation in East Devon's green spaces and see what wildlife they can spot, such as the meadow brown butterfly, blue tit, and common field grasshopper.

Look out for new 'let it grow' signs with bees on, which identify nature recovery areas.