Roundabouts and verges along Burley-in-Wharfedale’s bypass have become unlikely nature havens with the help of local wildlife enthusiasts.
Grassland wildflower seed mix was sown on the green spaces when the bypass was built, but a regular grass-cutting regime by Bradford Council did not give the flowers the chance to set seed.
Burley Village Wildlife Group held talks with the Council about a change in the grass cutting regime, which encouraged wild plants to flourish while ensuring road safety was not compromised.
Five years down the road, the roundabouts and verges now boast wildflowers such as daffodils, buttercups, ox-eye daisies, knapweed, wild carrot and scabious.
Local naturalists say this in turn supports a variety of insects, including species in decline such as bumblebees, honeybees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths.
The project impressed a passing Yorkshire Dales Road Verge Project conservation officer, who said he was “bowled over” by the array of wildflowers, on one of the most flower-rich verges he had seen in the region.
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