The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
‘I don’t believe it’: Wildlife guide’s dismay as rare plant cut down NATURE:
Flower bloomed during lockdown but was mowed by council workers
A Tayside wildlife guide has shared his dismay after Dundee City Council workers mowed down a rare plant for the third year in a row.
Ian Ford, 71, planted the greater yellow rattle in the city’s Riverside Nature Park after obtaining a special licence from government body Scottish Natural Heritage.
The lack of council grounds maintenance work in the area during lockdown meant the rare flower bloomed this year, for the first time.
Ian invoked the memory of infamous TV grumbler Victor Meldrew after he discovered “gas-guzzling gang mowers” had cut down the rare plant.
He said: “There are echoes of Victor Meldrew, but I don’t believe it.
“During lockdown, wildflowers buzzed with pollinators and thrived all over the city’s greenscapes for the first time and greatly benefited people as they enjoyed their daily exercise.
“But since lockdown eased these same spaces have been relentlessly attacked by a noisy onslaught of gas guzzling, gang mowers.”
He said he tried to protect the flower by marking the area on a map, contacting the council and visiting the site regularly.
He has now written to the local authority to complain.
“Dundee City Council very quietly declared a climate emergency last year. The city needs to act on its statutory duty to protect our native wildlife,” he added.
The plant has almost completely died out in the wild in Scotland. The only other patch is in Easthaven, on the Angus coast. The distinctive yellow flower has been viewed in the past as a weed but as it weakens nearby grass, the plant makes it more likely other wildflowers will bloom.
The council announced plans to leave uncut areas in parks across the city in June to promote biodiversity but the idea has proved controversial with some residents criticising the idea.
The council was asked about the flower’s destruction but gave a general response about grounds maintenance.
Meanwhile, a 20mph roundel which caused outrage among residents on a Dundee street will be removed. The painted road marking appeared on the setts of Strawberry Bank last week and was described as “despoiling” the street, which is part of the council’s West End Lanes Conservation Area.
Residents have praised the U-turn despite being warned remnants of the paint may be seen for some time.
The sign was part of the local authority’s successful People for Spaces bid, which seeks to encourage active travel. Councillor Fraser Macpherson was inundated with messages last week, with one person describing the roundel as “sheer vandalism”.
He said: “I talked with the current partnership manager of the Roads Maintenance Partnership. He’s always very helpful and he has agreed to remove the roundel, which is good news.”