The boss at a popular England tourist attraction has criticised some visitors for ‘damaging’ its flowers. Tim Hunter, the director of Hitchin Lavender , Hertfordshire, shared a plea to visitors who use his fields as a ‘photo opportunity’ to be mindful of their actions. He took to social media to share a video of the damage done to the lavender, saying it had been ‘killed’ after a number of people laid down in the plants and squashed the crop.
Tim explained that sitting on the lavender for just ten seconds can mean the plants die out, with the flowers taking years to mature. Tim also urged visitors to think of the wildlife that use the lavender as habitats, such as bees, butterflies, moths, and skylarks, to name a few. In a video uploaded to the attraction’s Instagram, Tim showed off the damage done by people laying down amongst the flowers.
Hitchin Lavender wrote on Instagram: “ANNOUNCEMENT: Please don't kill our lavender! Didn't enjoy making this video but important to share. “Lavenders take years to mature. In 10 seconds hundreds of our bushes (the majority of which are between 10 and 25 years old) are being killed by some visitors wanting to sit on them.
.? “Our lavenders are habitat to bees, butterflies, moths, skylarks, spiders, mice, hares, game birds and a huge array of small bugs. Many more animals feed off these creatures such as swallows, red kites, buzzards, foxes etc.
So please refrain from destroying their home and for ruining the views for you.