Biodiversity or is it just weeds?

brian ireland

Over the last three of four years Fingal CoCo have cut all of the grass in our estate except for a big patch in the middle of the field. The reason given for this was their interpretation of Biodiversity.

The reality is nothing has grown in this big patch except long grass and weeds.
The only thing that has changed from last year is they have made the patch bigger. So this year we will have more high grass and more weeds than last year.

Biodiversity projects can be great if the people implementing them actually understand the theory behind them. The big patch of grass was just left to grow weeds again last year.
I was expecting them to sow some wild flowers and create a meadow and in turn encourage some wild life to live in the area.



So imagine the scene this year. Fingal County Council create this Biodiversity zone in our field. It's developing over the last four years and some wild life have returned to the spot and set up home. Then the first grass cutting day of the year is here and three weeks ago they cut the whole feild :eek: Yep the big patch as well!!All the new neighbors are cut to ribbons and the field is back to square one.
They then come back two weeks later to leave a bigger patch than last for weeds and long grass to grow for the summer.

I called Fingal Co Council eight times to questioned them on this and I never got a call back.

T-Maxx

Agreed. It's nothing but a cost cutting exercise. In certain areas it's not too bad, but on the most prominent roundabouts as you're entering Swords? A few extra minutes with the mower is all it would take to keep it nice and tidy, not this hinterland we're left with now.:mad:

pinkypinky

I agree. Often thought if I had a good lawnmower, I'd do it myself (but I live in an apartment and don't have one!)

Eoineo

I've yet to hear of one of the bio-diversity locations being sowed with wildflower seeds which should have happened months ago. I'm all for biodiversity and if they are going to do it and make promises that they will sow wild seeds and encourage wildlife then they should do it. Otherwise it's an exercise in how little they can get away with doing.....

Corsendonk

It comes back to what each of us define as "weeds" Have a look at the photos below and tell me which are "weeds"?

Pic 1


Pic 2


Pic 3


Pic 4


Pic 5

sNarah

hang on, did I get that right?
They had the patch, it was starting to develop and attrack little animals and bugsies and the lot, and they cut it down???

Seriously wtf.

I know a lot of people think it's unsightly (usually it is) but it does serve a great purpose. What the OP stated here is just ridiculous though!

Corsendonk

sNarah wrote: »

hang on, did I get that right?
They had the patch, it was starting to develop and attrack little animals and bugsies and the lot, and they cut it down???

Seriously wtf.

I know a lot of people think it's unsightly (usually it is) but it does serve a great purpose. What the OP stated here is just ridiculous though!

As anyone from a farming background here would know you have two types of meadow a spring and a summer meadow. Summer meadow follows the spring meadow if you cut the area to allow the summer plants light to grow otherwise you can leave the spring meadow there to further seed for the rest of the summer but not much use to the farmer in the old days. Perhaps they rotated this particular site from a spring meadow to summer meadow to widen native plant diversity.

Corsendonk

Corsendonk wrote: »

It comes back to what each of us define as "weeds" Have a look at the photos below and tell me which are "weeds"?

Pic 1


Pic 2


Pic 3


Pic 4


Pic 5

Photo 2 is an invasive "weed" in Ireland that the parks spend alot of money to control each year, the others are native species found around Rush.