Roadside Verge Biodiversity Survey– We Need Your Help! The council is dedicated in trying to preserve and enhance the biodiversity of roadside verges within Blaenau Gwent. As a result, the council is looking to find the best roadside verges for wild- life within the county borough. We are asking the local residents of the borough to help us by sending in your records of verges which display the best opportunities for wildlife. Blaenau Gwent has an abundance of biodiversity which has formed as part of the wide variety of the inter– relationships between habitats. Roadside verges are incredibly important as the habitat they provide act as wildlife corridors for insects, mammals, and birds, forming a vital link between other wildlife areas. Some verges provide such a valuable variety of species rich habitat, such as heath, grassland and woodland, that they are able to support some of our rare and scarce species present in this area, many of which are included in our Local Biodiversity Action Plan. Tell us about the roadside verges in your area that are rich in biodiversity over the spring and summer by filling in the tear off slip below and sending to the return address, or by emailing [email protected] for further information. By providing us with this information you will greatly help us to sympathetically manage the verges for the wildlife. For example, a late summer cut of a grass verge allows the plants and vegetation to flower and set seed, which helps to guarantee the wildflowers and other flowering plants to thrive, whilst providing a vital source of food and cover for species such as bees and butterflies. Contact Details: Name:…………………………………………………………………. Address:……………………………………………………………... …………………………………………………………………………. Telephone or Email:…………………………………………………. Road Name and Number:…………………………………………... Nearest Town:…..……………………………………………………. 6 Figure Grid Reference:……………………………………………. Wildflower seen or other useful information: Photographs By: Mountain Pass near Beaufort by Nadine Morgan Return to: Katie Partington, Assistant Ecologist, Blaenau Gwent County Southern Marsh Orchid, Crown Avenue, Ebbw Vale Borough Council, Business Resource Centre, by Chris Engel Butterfly on Flower by Nadine Morgan Tafarnaubach Industrial Estate, Tafarnaubach, Tredegar, NP22 3AA Bee Landing on Flower by Jane Corey Email: [email protected] Small Pearl Border Fritillary by Martin Anthony Vale Terrace in Tredegar by Damien Assinder .