As a society we are becoming more aware of the importance of the environment and how little changes to our lives can help to improve it.

Sadly this week it appeared that some of that advice had by-passed some senior Ipswich councillors as they tried to score political points in the run up to this week's elections.

Over recent weeks millions of people have watched David Attenborough's stunning "Wild Isles" series on the BBC and will have heard his warnings about the dangers that exist to our environment.

One of the biggest problems we face is a fall in the number of insects, especially bees, and a key factor in that is the lack of food for them if lawns and verges are kept too "tidy."

Losing insects not only means plants are not pollinated, it also seriously impacts the number of insect-eating birds we see in our gardens.

That has prompted environmental groups, most significantly Plantlife, to introduce a campaign for "No Mow May" to persuade gardeners and others to allow the weeds to flourish and provide a bounty for the insects.

East Anglian Daily Times: No Mow May urges gardeners to leave the mowers in the shed until after May.No Mow May urges gardeners to leave the mowers in the shed until after May. (Image: Plantlfe)

Look at the Plantlife website and you'll see "No Mow May" is actually wider than that - they suggest we shouldn't cut the grass from the time the first flowers appear in March through to high summer.

They've also produced a "Good Verge Guide" which urges councils not to think about cutting verges until mid-July - pointing out that verges provide vital green corridors linking different places.

But that didn't stop a complaint from one Ipswich councillor about the state of a verge in Greenfinch Avenue.

I suspect the tweet was really just a flat-footed attempt to have a go a political opponent - but it really does suggest that the conservation message really does need to be hammered in to some people.

I have seen councillors suggesting that they're complaining about the fact the verge wasn't cut before May.

They really should look behind the slogan. Plantlife says you shouldn't cut before May has finished - it doesn't say "attack the flowers when they're emerging in April and feel smug for the next 31 days!"

Conservation isn't just about leaving a small part of a park alone and calling it a "wildlife area," it has to mean that councils incorporate it into every aspect of their work.

There are limits, of course, Suffolk Highways would be negligent if it didn't cut back trees that were obscuring road signs.

But in this case they were doing exactly the right thing - and to be criticised just because a verge doesn't fulfill a 1950s-style image of garden perfection is simply ridiculous.

Some councils have actually made a point of highlighting this kind of habitat management.

East Suffolk Council has put up "Pardon the weeds, we're feeding the bees" signs to explain why some open spaces might not look as structured as they once did.

East Anglian Daily Times: East Suffolk councillor James Mallinder showing off its Pardon the Weed sign.East Suffolk councillor James Mallinder showing off its Pardon the Weed sign. (Image: East Suffolk Council)

And to be fair Ipswich Council's environmental record is pretty good - even if some of its senior members could benefit from a gentle word about what the green agenda means!

Because I fear there are some who simply don't get it.

You can't say you're committed to biodiversity and then object to a policy that supports biodiversity simply because it's implemented by your political opponents.

And you have to accept that you can't have immaculately kept verges that you could play cricket on and support the environment.

Many people might object to the untidiness that nature needs - but if humanity is to survive surely that's a price worth paying?