In photos: ‘stunning displays of wildflowers’ to appear next year, says Lewes District Council, after final mow of the season

Councillor Emily O’Brien, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, recently met council officers and contractors to mark the occasion.

She said: “Lewes District Council is committed to doing all it can for nature including creating nature-friendly areas of our parks and recreation grounds. I was delighted to meet the team from our contractors, Idverde, and thank them for their hard work throughout the year.

“Managing all the grass cutting in the district is a year-round undertaking and only by careful planning can we create the stunning displays of wildflowers and natural habitat for wildlife. Sadly, we now live in one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, but wildlife surveys of the areas we manage are showing really encouraging results and are really appreciated by local people including many children, who love the bugs and butterflies.”

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The council aims to improve biodiversity partly by encouraging wildflowers to flourish by introducing wild areas on council owned land. The council said this requires an annual autumn mow by Idverde, which is then followed by the removal of all the grass clippings. Council workers either use a specialised mower or rake by hand in harder to reach places. The council said these ‘wildlife havens’ are particularly attractive to pollinators and offer ideal habitats for creatures like beetles and lizards. The council said that by leaving the cut and collect until later in the year, seeds from the flowers fall naturally onto the ground and germinate the following year.