How you helped
Budding botanists made all the difference!
No-one knew more about your local roads than you did! The huge effort made by the general public over 8 summers proved that large amounts of ground can be covered in just a short space of time.
Volunteers without any survey experience, helped to discover stretches of road verge throughout south west Lincolnshire important to the flora of the local natural area. Many verge sections have subsequently been designated as Local Wildlife Sites.
Each approximately 1km road section was surveyed once. It took no more than 1-2 hours to survey both sides at a slow walking pace. Where no verge was present or where verges were no wider than 1 metre (3ft), a detailed survey was not required.
Survey volunteers did not need to have identified plants before. Help was available in the form of a 'Life on the Verge Wild Flower ID Guide' aimed at non-experts. It can still be downloaded from our 'Downloads' page or a printed copy can be requested from the Project Officer for as long as stocks last. It includes a handy checklist of those wild flowers that are characteristic of limestone grassland and so indicate important areas. It also includes species that indicate 'poor' verges. 'Ruling-out' verges where restoration is unlikely to succeed was almost as important as learning about the best verges, so that attention and resources can now be focused on the stretches of highest conservation value.
How your survey helped
By taking part in this roadside verge survey, volunteers contributed vital information to help secure a future for wildlife. The project identified the most important roadside verges for limestone grassland species throughout the Kesteven Uplands and Southern Lincolnshire Edge by surveying all accessible verges on public roads. Now that those verges which still retain a broad diversity of wildflowers have been identified, there is an opportunity to manage them appropriately through partnership between local landowners, local authorities, utility companies, highways maintenance contractors and the Wildlife Trusts. It is also important to know which verges have lost important wildlife, so that resources can be focused on those of greatest value.
Click here to find out what Life on the Verge is doing