OT: Personal rant! mowing roadsides

For quite a few years, Illinois has replaced mowing with long stretches of native grasses! They are lovely, are not mowed, take care of themselves, and don't block vision. On interstates there is a strip of paved shoulder wide enough for a disabled vehicle. The secondary roads I drive are not mowed, either, in most cases unless necessary for safety at intersections. I rather like it all!

Sadly, there is a good reason for the mowing. Actually, several.

1. (Locally) keeps the deer further off the road, lowering the number that get hit - killing deer and sometimes people.

1. Fires - those grasses burn, burn hot and can send showers of sparks. Idiots still throw lit cigarettes, cigars and other things out the window. Not forgetting sometimes cars catch fire, over heat etc. (think about CA right now)

2. Accidents - rescue operations can be hindered when someone goes off the road and the emergency workers have to wade through the grass, brush etc.

Now - we do have "no cut" areas for wild flowers and I know that parts of MA stagger the cutting so the pretty stuff has a chance to be admired and set seed.

So - I'd rather the verges are mowed and we are all a tad safer.

C > Gasoline and Diesel fuel are very expensive, have been for quite some

A side benefit to not mowing but once in the fall is not being able to see the endless collection of political "vote for me, vote for me" signs, not to mention the incredible crop of ads for various housing developments. We have flowers in some of the medians, which are very nice right now.

Elizabeth

I've seen different ground covers being used instead of grasses lately (especially on I-95 around Providence & Cranston). It just makes more sense!

Meredith

Over here we are fortunate in that the local authorities rigidly enforce the rules regarding signs, whether temporary or permanent, by the roadside. It is not unknown for organisations to be fined to erecting unauthorised notices; even churches are not exempt.

{sigh} OK -- OK if there are some reasons for mowing I'll put up with it. But there are areas that do not have deer that mow.

I believe it is >Sadly, there is a good reason for the mowing. Actually, several.

Here it`s mostly so you have good visibility and lessen the risk of accidents.

Pat

I`ve never seen deer that mow! Graze, yes - but not MOW! Sounds like they could be useful. (Duck!)

Pat

Our next-door neighbour has a lot of long grass around his house, no plants, just meadow grass. Instead of buying a lawnmower he borrows a couple of sheep from local crofters for a week or two. If the grass is too long for sheep he borrows a couple of ponies or horses. Sounds a bit like the Flintstones but very practical and very "green".

Practical on Orkney, of course - but hardly practical on most roadsides in England!!! ;-)

Pat

There are areas that don't have deer?

At least once a month we see them just standing around in our yard, and everywhere I've ever lived has had deer/automotive issues.

Caryn

As someone who lives in a rural area, I know something about this. It's also necessary for the bottom of the ditch to be mowed because when the snow builds up among the weeds, it takes forever for it to melt in the spring and causes what does melt to back up since the flow becomes interrupted and clogged. Mowed ditches collect the snow quite easily and the catch more, since space isn't taken up by plants.

Also, it is *much* harder to mow the ditches when the plants are 3-4 feet (or more!) tall than 12 inches or so.

There are also many weeds and noxious, non-native, invasive plants, such as purple loosestrife or Leafy spurge, that would flourish and kill the native plants.

Now, I'm not saying that *all* wildflowers/plants should be mown down! It's just that there *are* reasons for the ditches to be mowed. In ND we have just a few areas left that are native prairie, i.e. never been plowed, that are protected areas. There has also been a recent surge in the past few years to re-establish native plants into certain areas.

FWIW

Joan

We have a nice big green near here (St Mary`s Green) with lots of trees including wild plums and elderberry, and loads of native flowering ones, including dogroses. They mow it regularly so it`s really nice to walk on, and my scooter can cope with it well, too - BUT, thank goodness, they leave a lot of it to grow naturally, so there are always a lot of wild flowers - they also planted masses of daffodils in those areas so it`s quite a sight in the Spring. It`d well kept - but not TOO perfect!

It was part of the conditions required before the builders of our housing estate could get planning permission. I bet they cursed, as there could have been a hundred or more houses built there otherwise. As it is, it`s greatly appreciated and made use of. Twenty years on, the trees have reached a good height and it`s really lovely, and they`ve also put a couple of noticeboards up with illustrations and descriptions of the plants and butterflies often found there.

Pat