This looks like it should attract pollinators, though I didn’t see any here.
Here’s one way to make our city streets more useful than they already are: Plant flowering shrubs, or let them grow, in the parking strips instead of grass.
I was reminded of this on a walk last month in the Broadway neighborhood of west Albany. One section of the parking strip near the west end of Eighth Avenue was full of wildflowers and greenery.
Parking strips along Albany streets generally are part of the right of way owned by the city, but adjacent property owners are responsible for keeping them up.
Some owners have covered their sections with river rock, which looks attractive and gets rid of the need for watering and mowing the parking strip grass.
Others just let the grass die in the summer heat, which also does away with mowing but lets the weeds grow good and tall.
Seems like a parking strip filled with wildflowers is an attractive alternative. And it’s useful to the extent that it attracts bees and such. That’s why they call this a “pollinator parkway.”
On the Internet there’s all kinds of advice on how to plant a parking strip to attract pollinators. You can find recommendations for what to plant, how to go about it, what to avoid, and how to stay in line with whatever city regulations there are.
Chances are that maintaining a plant-rich and colorful parking strip is a heck of a lot more work than just mowing the grass or keeping the river rock free of weeds.
But as I said, if you have the time and the inclination to try, it’s worth it for the view, the wildlife, and the utility of our streets. (hh)
I could have written a boring diatribe on why we should cut our too-wide streets in half and turn the other half into garden plots or whatever, taken over by permit holders (not necessarily the adjacent property owner).
Instead I’m just going to thank you for this story.
I have seen hundreds if not thousands of pollinators such as bees, butterflies and birds visiting this pollinators refuge. Every day there is new flowers popping up ✨️
Some of the city’s regulations are vague or at the discretion of the powers that be. I would advise getting it in writing so you are covered legally if it comes back on you. What is ok for one citizen is not always supported for others. One of the ways to survive Albany’s local government is to know your “role” in rolling with their punches. They have put a new meaning to the words “life is not fair” with even the most positive and harmless of goals you may have.