Councils transform road verges for wildflowers as public backs fight for nature
Spring flowers bloom on a roadside verge (Matt Pitts/Plantlife/PA)
Councils across England are transforming roadside verges to support wildflowers as pressure grows to reverse declines in wildlife, a Freedom of Information request has found.
Seven in 10 English councils are using mowing or management regimes alongside roads in their area to boost wildflowers and wildlife such as bees that depend on them, data gathered by the PA news agency suggests.
Conservationists say road verges are an overlooked but vital habitat, which are home to more than 700 species of wildflowers, including threatened orchids and other rare plants.