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I enjoy seeing grassy tram tracks, but is there something even better we could grow between rails?
(slrpnk.net)
Cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/21571852
Another example: https://lemm.ee/post/64307085
Clover typically takes less water to survive than turf grasses and puts out lovely flowers that are pollinator friendly for a pretty good portion of the year. The kind of clover that grows in my area (Tennessee, USA) is nearly evergreen too, starting earlier in the spring and staying green later than turf grasses.
Yet, we don't want the pollinators to get smashed by the trams. Thus, flowering plants probably aren't a good idea.
If we run trams over grass for long enough, perhaps eventually a plant will evolve which uses the motion of a tram to spread its pollen.
FYI, grasses are flowering plants too. We just typically mow turfgrasses before they grow tall enough to produce them, and even when they do, the flowers themselves are typically very small.
For example, bermudagrass flowers:
Honestly, I doubt that it'd much of a problem to use things with bigger flowers -- bees and such can probably get out of the way of a tram.
Of course, grasses are neither a fern nor moss. I was thinking of flowering plants that do attract pollinators, not those that make use of wind for pollination.
Eh, I'm not an expert but I think most trams move slow enough that they aren't going to take out pollinators. They won't crush them on the flowers, only risk would be when flying in the air. A decent aerodynamic deflector of some kind would probably help. The modern equivalent of a cattle guard on an old steam train.
Makes sense.
Ooh that sounds nice!