National Highways and The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside have employed an army of horticultural robots to help wildflowers thrive a year after they were planted.

Running alongside the M65 and A56 the flowers were planted to support wildlife and biodiversity and are being maintained by specialist remote control equipment.

Utilising attachments such as a grass cutter and a rake they are cutting back old wildflowers which have dropped their seed ready for next year’s growth.

Between August and November last year teams used a £1m pound investment from National Highways Designated Funds scheme to plant nearly 90 hectares of wildflower meadow in the area.

David Dunlop, Senior Conservation Officer for Policy and Advocacy at The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside, said: “Here’s an example of how, by working together, existing “grey / hard infrastructure” may be retrofitted to create extensive new green infrastructure, which will begin to reverse damage done in the past and start to reconnect nature across our region. 

"Land owned by transport operators, energy generators and energy extractors - as well as land directly proximal - will create "networks for nature", combining and connecting existing land of high ecological value with land that has the potential for restoration and long-term, biodiversity-focused management.” 

An amazing array of wildflowers had been identified at the spot near Accrington, including yellow rattle, cuckoo flower, bugle, cowslip and tiny vetch. 

National Highways Project Manager Betty Wilson said: “We’re currently on the first year of establishment, so some of the wildflower species take up to two years to flower from seed, but then continue for years to come like ox-eye daises, red champion and knapweed.” 

The maintenance work plays an important role in ensuring the meadows continue to thrive for years to come.

As wildflowers need nutrient-poor soil to thrive the removal of grass cuttings mans that nutrients don’t leach into the soil and promotes the grass to out-compete with the wildflowers.

It is also essential that the cutting is done outside of the main growing season to give the wildflower a chance to grow and drop seeds ready for the next year.

And by using the specialist tools it speeds up the process and keeps contractors safe by allowing them to stand in a suitable and safe location on the verge while they get to work.

Flowers also act as a critical capture and store of carbon which help fight climate change whilst also providing an important breeding ground for insects, birds, amphibians and reptiles.

They also mitigate flooding by holding onto rainwater rather than it washing away.