Mowers coming to a right-of-way near you

About this time of year, some people I know start to worry that the mowing machines will be coming any day now to suddenly bring an end to spring color along the highways. A main worry for many wildflower lovers is that the mowers will trim off the late bloomers before they can reseed.

Early bloomers such as bluebonnets and paintbrushes already could have mature seeds by now and might be safe to mow, but what about those that are just starting to bloom? Will those late-flowering plants even be there next spring if they are mowed now? Why can’t the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) just put off mowing until all the wildflowers have gone to seed?

At a recent meeting of the Boerne Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT), TxDOT’s Marvin Hatter answered questions about the mowing policy. Hatter, a Boerne resident and member of the Boerne Chapter of NPSOT, is District Vegetation Manager of the San Antonio District of TxDOT (including Kendall County). He is a resource person for mowing and landscape-maintenance contracts, landscape design, the pesticide program, the wildflower program, and erosion control.

Hatter explained that mowing right-of-ways is mandated by state law as a safety measure. However, TxDOT does not routinely mow the right-of-ways along state highways.

Contract mowers Bill Ward (the lowest bidders) handle that job, and TxDOT does not micro manage their work. yard; so they want the roadside kept neat. Then there are those who fear that high vegetation along the roadside is a fire hazard. They feel it is less likely that careless smokers will start grass fires on trim right-of-ways. In addition, the TxDOT District Office tries to let local offices determine where and when to mow.

In part at least, the time of mowing is driven by public pressure. So it is pressure from those who want the 30-foot right-of-ways mowed early versus those who wish it could be held off until all the spring wildflowers go to seed. Who exerts the greater pressure, those for early mowing or those against?

The list of “pro-mowers” is long. A great deal of pressure comes from the mowing contractors themselves. They usually have scheduled several jobs for a limited time and are chomping at the bit to get on with the mowing.

Others who push for early mowing are litter contractors who want right-of-ways mowed, because high vegetation hides lots of trash. Also, Highway Patrol officers prefer to pull violators onto mowed roadsides.

People who have car trouble on the highway like to change their tires or replace their fan belts on mowed turf.

Many homeowners near state roads fear that unmown right-of-ways harbor snakes and rodents. Some homeowners think of the right-of-way as an extension of their own yard; so they want the roadside kept neat.

Then there are those who fear that high vegetation along the roadside is a fire hazard. They feel it is less likely that careless smokers will start grass fires on trim right-of-ways.

Ranchers on overgrazed land phone TxDOT to complain that unmown right-of-ways are causing their cattle to push over fences trying to get at the lush roadside vegetation.

There are even people who called the District Office in San Antonio to ask why state highway right-of-ways in some other part of Texas look neater than those in this area.

Okay, so the greater public pressure is for early mowing. Is there any hope that those concerned about the survival of native wildflowers have a chance to influence mowing practices? Apparently, the answer is a guarded yes.

TxDOT managers such as Marvin Hatter are sympathetic to those concerns. Besides this, TxDOT, like an agency responsive to the public, is not immune to the squeaky-wheel-gets-the-grease syndrome.

Usually, most complaints are about unmown areas. However, in response to requests from NPSOT and other groups, district and local offices in several parts of the state have been known to work with those organizations on preservation of native vegetation.

In addition, albeit too gradually, state regulations are being changed to protect native-plant diversity along Texas highways.