Broughton Astley Cosby Road Verge
Selected Wild Place / Other Wild Places / Public Rights of Way / VC55 boundary
Site species count:
This verge is being managed to improve biodiversity as part of the County Council/Parish Council verges biodiversity trial. It was surveyed in 2021 by NatureSpot volunteers but we would welcome additional wildlife records from the community, whether plants, animals or fungi.
The aim of the project is to demonstrate that by managing the grassland as a wildflower meadow it can support a much greater diversity of wildlife species. Different species come and go throughout the year so we will get a much better understanding of the biodiversity value of this site if local residents can add records of what they have seen. Please take a photo if possible and include it with your record, using NatureSpot's Submit Records form. Once checked and accepted your record and any photos will appear on this page!
The verge is now being managed differently to help wildlife. Mowing will cease between April and August to allow the grasses and wildflowers to grow and bloom. In some cases, verges will also have additional native wildflower species added, either as seed or as plug plants.
A list of all the species found at the site, together with any images taken, will appear below once the survey has taken place.
When this verge was surveyed in 2020 it had just been disturbed by major roadworks and was of poor quality, but 2021 shows a big improvement with good species such as Common Knapweed, Great Burnet, Meadow Vetchling and Common Vetch being present. There is also a good variety of grasses and many insects were taking advantage of this increased biodiversity, including the Small Yellow Underwing moth which was recently described as uncommon and local, possibly declining in VC55 (Leicestershire and Rutland).
At the back of the verge the land falls away into a ditch and this area is very high quality grassland which will spread onto the verge over time. Part of the verge is backed by a hedge which also contributes to the overall diversity and biodiversity value.
The records and images below may include those from adjacent sites if the grid reference submitted with these records overlaps the boundary of this Wild Place.
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.