A yearly initiative to encourage biodiversity and foster wildlife populations across East Suffolk is scheduled to return for a fourth year.
The ‘Pardon the Weeds, We’re Feeding the Bees’ campaign was launched in 2020 to protect the environment by allowing green spaces to grow and thrive with wildlife.
The reduced mowing programme aims to improve the habitat for a variety of flora and fauna, including the crucial bee population, by letting grass and flowers grow wild.
Cllr James Mallinder, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “Pollinating insects have been in decline for decades due to habitat loss.
"It makes complete sense for us to create wildlife-friendly areas, rich in nectar, by mowing selected areas less frequently and allowing these potentially abundant grasslands to grow, where possible."
This year, the scheme has expanded in scale to encompass 135 sites, which will be left to grow until late August/September.
Each site is marked with a bright yellow sign, asking passers-by to ‘Pardon the Weeds, We’re Feeding the Bees’, making residents and visitors aware of the scheme.
Areas are selected based on being large enough to provide an environmental benefit without presenting any safety issues for local communities.
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Mr Mallinder added: "Another obvious benefit is the chance to increase the amount of carbon captured by our green spaces.
“This isn’t about cutting costs or just leaving areas unkempt. This is a carefully managed programme, motivated by our commitment to protecting and enhancing the environment.
“East Suffolk Council has implemented an ambitious environmental vision since declaring a climate emergency in 2019, we have and will continue to increase the number of wild spaces in the district, where a more conservation-based approach to cutting could promote biodiversity."
A full list of biodiversity sites can be found online: www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/assets/Leisure/Parks-and-open-spaces/Grass-cutting/Pardon-the-Weeds-campaign-information.pdf
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