I AM part of the Tansy Beetle Action Group, seeking to preserve and enhance the rare tansy beetle, which is found on tansy plants only on the banks of the River Ouse around York. It is a beautiful bright green insect often described as the Jewel of York.
One location where the beetle used to be abundant is New Walk between Blue Bridge and Millennium Bridge to the south of the city. However, grass cutting along this stretch has previously trimmed the tansy almost to extinction.
This year, an arrangement was made with City of York Council to leave a strip un-mowed and the tansy was seen to be thriving. I went out to New Walk last Tuesday afternoon in keen anticipation of seeing whether the beetles had returned.
It was shocking to find that all of the bankside vegetation had been cut down that morning, contrary to what had been agreed. The remains of 57 clumps of tansy plants were withering away and it was impossible to tell how many beetles had been wiped out.
We have no explanation for why this has happened and await a response from City of York Council.
Andrew Vevers, Fulford Park, York.
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