在英国，越少修剪花就越多

In the United Kingdom, those grassy strips next to the road or the sidewalk are usually mowed four or more times a year for aesthetic reasons, but new guidelines call for a fresh approach: cutting them only twice a year, saving time, money and most importantly, the wildflowers and habitat they provide for wildlife.

在英国,出于审美原因，那些草条旁边的道路或人行道上的草通常是一年割四次以上,但新准则呼吁一个新的方法:减少修剪，一年只有两次就可以,节省时间金钱，最重要的是,为野生动物和野花提供栖息地。

Wildflowers grow along a road in Charltons, England. (Photo: colingrice/Shutterstock.com)

The recommendations for verges, as they're called there, were provided by the wildlife charity Plantlife and have been backed by highway agencies, contractors and other wildlife organizations.

这些建议由野生动物慈善机构Plantlife提供，并得到了公路机构、承包商和其他野生动物组织的支持。

"Over 700 species and nearly 45% of our total flora are found on our road verges, and considering we've lost 97% of our wild flower meadows since the 1930s, these crucial habitats need to be properly managed," reads a statement on the Plantlife website.

Plantlife网站上的一份声明称:“在我们的路边发现了700多种植物，几乎占我们植物总数的45%。考虑到自上世纪30年代以来，我们失去了97%的野花草地，这些关键的栖息地需要妥善管理。”

This roadside vegetation provides important wildlife corridors, helping provide a path for animals to travel "an increasingly fragmented countryside," The Guardian points out. "But there has been a 20% decrease in floral diversity on road verges since 1990, in part because of overzealous cutting."

《卫报》指出，路边的植被为野生动物提供了重要的走廊，为动物提供了一条“日益支离破碎的乡村”的道路。“但自1990年以来，道路边缘的植物多样性下降了20%，部分原因是过度砍伐。”

Mowing only twice a year would give plants time to replenish their seeds while restoring floral diversity and, of course, saving money for the government.

一年只割两次草，植物就有时间来补充种子，同时恢复花卉的多样性，当然，也为政府省了钱。

The new guidelines will cover more than 500,000 kilometers (310,000 miles) in the U.K. and will help some endangered plants such as fen ragwort, burnt orchid and rampion bellflower.

新的指导方针将覆盖英国50多万公里(31万英里)的范围，并将帮助一些濒危植物，如凤尾草、焦兰和介子铃兰。

As part of the recommendations, no new wildflower seeds will be planted on the verges. Plantlife says sowing generic mixes of wildflower seeds doesn't help conserve the flowers that are already there and can threaten native flora. Planting flowers that are right for pollinators can be costly and take a lot of work to keep up.

作为建议的一部分，没有新的野花种子将种植在路边。Plantlife说，种植普通的混合野花种子并不能帮助保护已经存在的花朵，还可能威胁到当地的植物群。种植适合传粉者的花是昂贵的，需要大量的工作来维护。

Instead, they say that simply cutting them less often and at the right time will give native plants the best opportunity to flower and reseed. "Given the chance to spread, verges will be full of life again before too long."

相反，他们说，只要减少对它们的砍伐，并在适当的时间将给本土植物开花和重新播种的最佳机会。“如果有机会传播开来，不久之后，边缘地带将再次充满生机。”