Dublin City Landscape goes wild!
Following a recent decision from Dublin City Council, some parks and green areas have been allowed to ‘go wild!’
It comes as part of an initiative from DCC to reduce mowing of certain areas and also, to further reduce the use of chemicals, such as some weed killers and herbicides etc (DCC has been decreasing the use of these over the past four years).
I think wild flowers are pretty spectacular, with their great colours, random sizes and their incessant need to pop up in the most unlikely of places. I guess it reminds me of a younger me, in what always seems like simpler times with less hustle of people and less hassle of the working world!
My favourite section of Stephens Green has always been the ‘wild flower garden’ as you enter from the Leeson St entrance. Although it has been planted ‘randomly’ by the OPW, I think that it’s a great reminder that just allowing that tiny piece of chaos in an otherwise perfectly groomed garden, can be inspiring. The Huguenot Cemetery on Merrion Row will not fail to impress when you see the bluebells full of life in the sunlight. Perhaps it’s because it’s a cemetery that makes that point a little more lovely.
But of course, it isn’t just the prettiness that is the point here. The wilding of these green areas in the city will provide a natural habitat for bees and other insects, so that they can live across these areas. The allowing of verges, grasslands and parks to grow wild with natural weeds and wildflowers will mean (1) that insects and small animals are likely to flourish in their new habitat and (2) the absence, or significant decrease in the use of weedkillers and pesticides – which is always good news.
This is all part of Dublin City Council’s plan to improve the biodiversity of these areas and they have many other initiatives still to come as part of their overall action plan.
