Dismay after bee orchids mowed down in Leighton Buzzard

Andy Wood, of Albany Road, was delighted when the flowers appeared on an "unassuming bit of roadside verge" next to the traffic lights at the Billington Road/Kestrel Way junction.

He contacted councillors, although at short notice, before the end of No Mow May – a national initiative that asks people to delay grass-cutting to help wildlife flourish – to try and ensure that the orchids would stay protected.

But he was devastated to find they had already been cut down by June 4.

"What is the point of something like No Mow May if the benefits are simply mown away the moment the calendar moves into June?" Andy asked.

Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) told the LBO the area was "not a known site for bee orchids", and was not one of the 11 designated 'no mow' sites across Leighton-Linslade.

Andy claimed: "I fully understand that the guys doing the mowing have a job to do – and that they are mowers, not botanists, so will not always be aware of what's in the areas they are asked to cut. I also understand that our councils won't always know what's growing in their verges, and that, even if they do, there's extra cost and complexity on their part to try and come up with mowing regimes that try and accommodate that.

"However, we must somehow find a way of being at least a little bit cleverer about this. Biodiversity is in crisis all around us, and we have to find at least some ways of reversing that."

Central Bedfordshire Councillor, Emma Holland Lindsay, Leighton Linslade South ward, said: "When the resident contacted me to alert me to the presence of the bee orchids I asked Central Beds Council to delay mowing the area until after they had finished flowering so they could set seed for the future.

"I share the deep disappointment of local residents at the needless destruction of these beautiful wildflowers that had thrived during the last few weeks.

"I am calling on Central Beds to take a more considered approach to verge cutting so that where safe we can allow our wildflowers to thrive to support precious pollinators and our biodiversity."

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokesman said: “This area was not a known site for bee orchids, and we were not notified about them until it was too late. However, we have highlighted this location for our contractors to monitor next year.

“In consultation with town and parish councils, we identified sites to be part of the No Mow May initiative. This area was not one of the 11 designated sites across Leighton-Linslade.

“This site was visited and maintained as part of the usual grass-cutting schedule throughout Central Bedfordshire. We are committed to balancing environmental sustainability with public safety and community needs. We encourage residents to suggest potential sites for enhancing biodiversity to their local town or parish council or directly through the council’s website.”

Andy concluded: "So sadly we've lost the orchids for this year. Bee orchids are perennials, though, so if we can get a more nuanced mowing regime in place for future years, then hopefully they'll come back and maybe even spread.

"Whether this will result in a change in the mowing regime for the verge for future years, we'll have to wait and see. I do hope so. And at the moment, CBC seem open to that idea. I have to be fair to both the councillors and CBC here – so far, they have reacted well. We now have to see what happens next. I let Councillor Emma Holland-Lindsay know what had happened, she responded very quickly to say she'd take it up with CBC.

"Councils must find a more intelligent way of accommodating and encouraging wild flowers in our green spaces. We don't need green grass deserts. We need biodiversity."