Most days I walk round the Knavesmire twice a day with my dog and must say how lovely it looked on Sunday in the sun with all the buttercups and other wild flowers making a comeback.

There are one or two bees returning but as yet no butterflies that I have seen (and I do look). 

Hopefully the council has seen the light and stopped mowing so more wildlife can arrive and Knavesmire can return to the unpolluted, peaceful, natural haven for people and the environment that it should be. 

Colin Harbisher, School Lane, Bishopthorpe, York

If we don’t cut verges, York will be an eyesore

To a large extent I agree with Cllr Christian Vassie that we should look after our countryside wild flowers and bees (‘Please don’t cut verges’ says councillor, June 6)

However, there needs to be a distinction made between wild flower meadows and other wild flower areas, and the grass verges to which he is referring.

Most of the grass verges he questions are man-made and were only ever seeded with grass to be cut and manicured seasonally. These same verges usually overlie services such as water, electricity, gas and telephone cables. The grass verge makes all of these easily accessible for service and repair.

I would also bring to Cllr. Vassie’s attention a letter I wrote to the Press about the litter in our urban verges - beer cans, plastic and other detritus.

Leaving these verges to grow without maintenance will encourage the litter louts and make the eventual cutting of verges dangerous for the mower operatives!

Without maintenance of verges on roads entering York, our city will become an eyesore. Currently, if I were a visitor to York and I was coming in on the the A19 north of York, I might think of turning round and going back!

John Aked, The Meadows, Skelton