Council Champions ‘Nature at its Best’ with Wildflower Project to Encourage Biodiversity

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The Lord Mayor holding a 'Nature at its best' poster surrounded by bluebells
The Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Cllr Kevin Savage pictured at one of the stunning wildflower meadows at Oxford Island National Nature Reserve.

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is championing biodiversity across the borough by managing native wildflower meadows and verges to create stunning biodiverse grasslands for everyone to enjoy.

This Wildflower Road Verge Project, first piloted in 2019, was exceptionally popular with residents leading to additional areas being managed this year.  The flowers create an ever-changing picture from spring through to the end of summer, with bluebells, daffodils, daisies and dandelions which will continuously evolve toward a flowering peak in mid summer with buttercups, clovers, knapweeds, orchids and a variety of wild grasses. These managed verges will provide a link to our wildflower meadows.

The Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council said;

“It fascinates me how nature knows best.  By managing these spaces we get to watch areas come alight with colour and thrumming with insects into the summer months.  This is biodiversity at its best. I would encourage everyone, especially our younger borough residents, to take some time to watch these plants go through their life cycle and enjoy their development as they provided food and shelter for a wide variety of butterflies, bees, birds and small mammals”.

Importantly, areas like these with a good variety of grasses and other native flowering plants are a haven for wildlife, and as the last flowers fade away the variety of seed heads, stems and leaves continue to provide an attractive feature all year round.

The council hopes that residents, and visitors to the borough, will enjoy these wonderfully diverse habitats showcasing nature’s finest flowers at their best.