Top marks to my local council - in fact I might email them to congratulate them, in the hope they keep doing good things for wildlife even through the 'financial climate'.
The thing is that they've gone and converted what was a fairly barren piece of grass which runs in a broad strip along the middle of a city-centre avenue into two parallel herbaceous borders.
It's a work in progress, and all I could do was peer over the temporary fencing, but even so I could see that it was already beginning to buzz with insects.
Their planting regime includes dahlias, tagetes, heleniums, echinacea and achilleas - all plants that I have in my top 400 garden plants for wildlife.
In the 5-minutes I had, I could see Honeybees, bumblebees, hoverflies, solitary wasps, a Common Darter dragonfly and a Holly Blue butterfly. I'd say that's not bad at all for a particularly built-up area of the city.
The borders are of course providing cover, shelter, pollen and nectar, and variety of plant food, but more than anything they provide a linear link between parkland areas to the north and south rather than just an open flat (and rather scary) expanse for insects to cross. So much wildlife needs to wander to survive that green corridors are vital.
And that's where a garden that is good for wildlife has double value - it is good in itself, but also as a vital stepping stone along a corridor.
You know what, Wildlife Friendly, I'd place a bet that they just chose their plants for the way they look! I think it takes a good wildlife gardener to know what NOT to plant, but would a wildlife gardener want to use their skills to render their borders free of wildlife?
Our council do a wonderful job with the planting in my local town and parks but although they look great they have no wildlife value at all. I’ve watched these planting schemes for ages and have not spotted a single bee, butterfly or hoverfly. My council does care about wildlife; they fund a number of well maintained nature reserves and conservation areas around the local area.
It made me think that perhaps the plants/flowers were chosen not to attract wildlife. The last thing you need where children are playing and in busy high streets are lots of bees. The nectar might not be there but the green corridors are.