WALKING THE HEDGEROWS

 A PEACEFUL WALK IN JULY ALONG THE HEDGEROWS OF THE WOLDS IN NORTH LEICESTERSHIRE

I wanted to walk alongside and see the beauty of the vegetation within and by the hedgerows. I was in the best place possible because there were hedges that had not been murdered by machinery and that had an area of uncut vegetation running along their length. That is a habitat with a food source and protection. Also on this farm there was 5 metres between the crop and hedge. This grass was kept short and maintained that way. This meant easy access around the fields and according to the owner enabled them to keep unwanted plants, often called weeds, out of the cultivated areas. It was beautiful and the peace was wonderful. There were busy roads around, tyre noise was very evident, but birdsong prevailed. A few days of calm after two weeks of working through an extensive list of things that had to be done.

A Song Thrush constantly sang from the dense wood opposite.

I have kept a close watch on many sites regarding ‘wildlife crime’ and written a collection of poems along the lines of habitat destruction, the ‘muirburn’ on moorland, poisoned bait and so on. I was born in a farming community and have understood, sometimes re-considered, tradition and the cultures within. It is easy, I believe, to be despondent about events and have extreme views on farming and the loss of wildlife. Where I have been I have listened to other points of view and I have known that there has always to be a balance between conservation and the production of food. There are many fads out there and I am in no doubt that the consequence of adhering to a certain diet has not been thought through. I consider that most have scant knowledge of the natural world but it is becoming obvious that the world is a continually changing place.

In The Times on Tuesday 13th July was an article by Ben Webster regarding the views of Adam Henson who runs his 1600 acre farm in the Cotswolds. Henson’s message is ‘to eat British’, of course, and he bases some of his arguments on almonds and almond milk and says that locally produced dairy milk is better for the environment. He states that both almonds and avocado require copious amounts of water. The whole of this article is well worth reading and I have no doubt that someone somewhere will spell out another view. 

On the side of a Horse Chestnut tree was this wonderful appendage.

The subject of this shelf or bracket fungus is an intriguing one as the information suggests that if it were not for this type of organism trees would live for ever. This protuberance is just a token with the main part eating the tree slowly from inside. In other words the host tree is being recycled.

As the grass is kept short and no fertilizers are used there, ‘mushrooms’ can be easily seen. The hedge sides have an abundance of different vegetation including this Rosebay Willow Herb. But note the plethora of other plants and grasses. A bouquet of beauty.

Later I found a butterfly - Ringlet. The indications are that with the cold and rain butterflies may be having a poor year. This beautiful small butterfly taken with my phone and consequently it is not sharp.