It was in the spring of 2016 when I first approached the Council about the possibility of planting a small area underneath the canopy of the Ash, Whitebeam and Wild Cherry trees set amongst the sheltered housing flats off Lant Avenue. These trees were in the central area and the idea was to plant and seed wild flowers, such as bluebell, primrose, and spring bulbs like crocus, snowdrop and daffodil. Not a huge ask you might imagine and more especially since it would cost them nothing, it would even save money.
The council’s initial response was hardly whole-hearted; I could sense they were concerned that there might be a disturbance to existing status quo, although this was unstated. After a period of negotiation there was a brief survey of the other tenants in the flats immediately surrounding the communal area, and initial approval was given to plant a limited number of plants which had outgrown their home in the small patch of garden to the front and back of my flat.
From the beginning the emphasis was on the value of creating an area that would be more beneficial for wildlife, and whilst this seemed like a good plan to me, and some of the other tenants, it was met with a degree of animosity and hostility from others who simply wanted the grass to be kept cut and in its rightful place i.e. a uniform short-clipped, green monochrome. Any grass that was allowed to grow ‘too long’ was perceived as ugly and untidy, not to be tolerated and a sign that the county council were neglecting their duties. It’s hard to imagine what people must have thought before lawn mowers came along.
Over the next several years we managed to raise funds and get approval to plant up the whole central area, completely transforming the character and nature of the outdoor space. It would be nice to say it was an effortless process, but it most definitely was not.
From the time the first spring bulbs were planted and the initial colours broke into late winter and early spring weather gloom, this was most welcomed by residents including the initially reluctant. As the grass and other plant life started to grow over the following weeks and months, the amount of discomfort seemed to grow.
The peak of complaints and murmurings about the perceived threat posed by rampant vegetation seems to climax around the middle of summer. This is the time when a lot of the plants and flowers are setting seed, and perhaps turning brown but are preparing for the following year. Crucially and often forgotten and unseen, it is a time when a lot of insects are most active making the most of the longer warmer days, and dramatic disturbance, like mowing, will not allow them the chance to complete their breeding cycles.
It was a welcome suprise to get a visit in the first week of the New Year from the council’s Biodiversity Officer who had brought with him some new signs to put in place. The message is clear and simple. “It’s For Them”, and “Iddyn Nhw” in Welsh. They are A4 in size and the majority of the sign is taken up with a picture depicting some of the wildlife that might already, or could be encouraged, to find a home in the area. The beauty of the sign is in its clear and simple messaging, the words leave little doubt about what it is meant for, whilst the picture allows people’s imaginations to expand into possibilities. Imagination and action, two things we need a lot more of.
Small signs they maybe, but positive ones none the less.