I thought this article would be of interest. I read it on BBC online:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4794543.stm
Road builders get butterfly guide. A guide to help road builders protect the habitat of the UK's dwindling population of butterflies has been published.
The Butterfly Handbook encourages engineers to include features and plants that will encourage wildlife......
Building butterfly friendly roads.
Hmmm...many roads out here have small trees, shrubs and flowers planting in the median strips. Lots of good blooming duranta, lantana, wild olive, cassias and many more excellent nectaring and larval hosts. Very pretty to look at and they do attract butterflies...but butterflies must still fly over the highway lanes to get to them. I say they are more beneficial than harmful as once the butterflies get to them...they pretty much flit from flower to flower within the median.
~ Cat
Cat, driving along your Texas roads is a pleasure, especially when the blue-bells are in bloom! I really don't know why every state does not have a beautification programme for their roads, never mind incorporating butterfly/bird plants which are so easy to sow and minimal work to maintain! Given the farming methods which eliminates all 'weeds' this would help to balance the elimination of a vast number of plants which are necessary to ensure nectar and food for the butterflies!
I am still looking for some Zebra longwing caterpillars! Anyone with info or caterpillars please reply!
they are getting pretty good at planting some of our road way medians and I10 to Mobile has several huge wildflower gardens planted along the way
Well Florida Highways could take a lesson or two from your States. Here its Palms left, right and centre! Some town roads have nice plantings though. I do understand as the growth here is so rampant that every plant has to be able to maintain a 'given' height without bringing the machette out t whack it down for safety! But along the highways, it would be so nice to see butterfly gardens going wild! Ah well, I do my own bit in my wee garden........... :)