Nature and the busway

As a regular traveller between St Ives and Cambridge, I have been amazed and inspired by the magnificent display of wild flowers on the busway verges - ox eye daisies, poppies, mullein, mallow, Queen Anne's Lace to name a few of the more prominent species. Now many of the flowers have reached the seeding stage, and in the last few days the verges adjacent to the tracks have been trimmed. But the untrimmed areas further from the bus tracks are still looking glorious.


Evidently some residents of Orchard Park feel that these colourful verges are simply 'weeds'. See report  by Chris Havergal in the Cambridge News. The comments posted on the newspaper's website about this are interesting. There seems to be a split between those who think the 'weeds' are a blot on the landscape, and those who welcome these lush verges as a haven for wildlife.

Busway botany

Anyone travelling the busway during the last week or two cannot fail to have noticed the stunning display of wildflowers, and especially the millions of Ox Eye Daisies. My friend Andrew Brown took this picture and has kindly allowed me to use it here.