Twenty-five years ago when I was studying horticulture in
the Netherlands I took a class in roadside maintenance. I thought it was going
to be duller than watching paint dry. But, I was very much mistaken. I remember
reading the book Linten in het landschap
(Ribbons in the Landscape) and my thought pattern was transformed. I had no
idea that by adjusting mowing cycles and maintenance routines, you could
encourage both native flora and fauna. How had I missed it? With a bicycle as
my sole means of transportation I had been riding through these ribbons every
single day
Fast forward to today. I just read an article called Green Highways: New Strategies To Manage Roadsides
as Habitat by Richard Conniff. “From northern Europe to Florida, highway planners are rethinking
roadsides as potential habitat for native plants and wildlife. Scientists say
this new approach could provide a useful tool in fostering biodiversity.”
In Florida agriculture is second biggest revenue stream in the state
and there are roughly 100 crops that rely on pollinators. The fact that feral
honeybee populations have dropped more that 50% in the last half century is
serious business. Florida DOT manages 186,000 acres of land that are either
next door to or one lot away from almost every farm in the state. A $90,000 study
to determine how changes in the DOT mowing regimen might benefit roadside
pollinator populations is now underway.
In Iowa, there is little left of the original prairie habitat. Farmers
who used to set land aside under the federal Conservation Reserve Program have
withdrawn more than 1.5 million acres in the last 5 years to try and cash in on
the market for ethanol. The tripling of herbicide use since the introduction of
Roundup Ready corn and soybeans has eliminated milkweed and other native
species and that’s caused monarch butterfly populations to crash, says
University of Kansas ecologist Orley Taylor. We have to consider roadsides, there is no other room left!
The idea of attracting wildlife to roadsides isn’t one-dimensional of
course, and safety issues need to be heard, as do pollution concerns with storm
water ponds. But, at least, the
discussion is beginning. When you look at the big picture like this it can feel
overwhelming but it isn’t hopeless. Many of the decisions about roadways will
be made at the county level so, there is chance for you to be heard. We can
also begin to create way stations for plants and animals in our own backyards
and create our own beautiful ribbons running through our neighborhoods.
Bringing Life to your Garden!
Have fun out there,
Peggy Anne
