Green deserts....

Nobody is a fan of austerity. Depending on your political view, it's a necessary price we have to pay to get the economy back on track or it's a way of making the poorest in society pay for the problems caused by greedy, rapacious bankers.

But's that not what I came here to talk about. Austerity means local government has had to trim back all kinds of things as the money they receive from central government has been cut. One of the things that has been reduced is the amount of money spent on maintaining the grass verges along the city's roads. They used to be cut regularly to a few centimetres above the ground so they looked like manicured lawns.

But now they are cut far less regularly and I have to say I'm a bit of a fan. The grass grows tall and flowers and all manner of wildflowers are blooming in them. At the moment the ones near us are full of late buttercup, white and pink clover, bird's foot trefoil and meadow orchids. The verges were full of bees and other insects enjoying the nectar. The carefully trimmed lawns were virtual green deserts supporting very little wildlife. Later on in the summer they will be trimmed again before winter sets in. I, as well as the bees, much prefer this new regime.