Green areas are let grow wild in pilot bee project
WEXFORD District Council is leaving the grass uncut for six-week periods in selected green spaces around the town, as a pilot project to provide meadows for pollinators.
The areas covering a total of 2.7 acres are Brendan Corish Gardens and Walnut Grove, the weighbridge area at the Maldron Hotel, Roxborough roadside verges, Carricklawn roundabout to the Old Hospital Road roundabout, an overgrown and unused green space at Newlands, Ashfield Drive, adjacent to Beechlawn road and Mansfield Drive, adjacent to Beechlawn road.
The first cut was carried out after April 15 after dandelions flowered; the second cut will be done at the end of May, to allow clover to develop; the third cut will be carried out from mid to late July, to allow blossoming of clover; the fourth cut at the end of August; and the fifth cut after mid-October.
Engineer Sean Kavanagh said additional cuts may be needed in May or June to reduce heavy growth in some areas
Independent councillor Leonard Kelly asked if the council could put up signs letting people know that the grass was deliberatley left unmown so they didn’t think it was being overlooked.
The engineer said the local authority would be erecting signage in the areas this week.
He told the meeting that due to Covid-19 restrictions, the council is carrying out all grass maintenance using its own resources, whereas in previous years, it hired a private contractor to assist.
‘We have managed the first cut in a large number of areas, to maximise the growth of dandelions etc as a vital food source for pollinators in spring time, by delaying grass cutting until after Easter,’ he said.
‘Subject to restraints and resources, we propose the introduction of additional permanent pollinator friendly plants on the ring road roundabouts and to phase out the use of non-pollinator friend annual bedding plants at these locations,’ he added.