#wild floweres

[blog2collectionsanfavs]

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[sumpix]

Plantwatch: medieval strip farming makes wildflowers bloom | Environment |

  Where strip farming has been revived, wildflower species have soared, giving a boost to birds and insects

Wild plants have suffered greatly from modern farming, but they have thrived in the medieval field system still being used in Laxton in Nottinghamshire, dating back several hundred years. Big open fields are divided into strips, shared between local farmers, with big grassy borders originally used for turning horses, and grassy lanes for moving between fields and the nearby village. The grassy areas have never been contaminated by artificial fertilisers or pesticides and are outstanding sites for wildflowers such as cowslip (Primula veris), pignut (Conopodium majus) and bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), as well as wild grasses with evocative names such as creeping soft-grass (Holcus mollis) and quaking grass (Briza media). These are all mown for hay at the end of the season and sold for animal feed.

 The survival of Laxton’s medieval fields is an accident of history, but elsewhere strip farming vanished when fields were enclosed, especially during the late 18th and 19th centuries. However, another strip farming system has been revived on farmland at Vile on the Gower Peninsula in south Wales. The National Trust has turned six fields into a patchwork of plots, and has seen the number of wildflower species increase by a third, bringing a huge boost to birds and insects.

(via Plantwatch: medieval strip farming makes wildflowers bloom | Environment | The Guardian)

[exploringca]

Summer in gold country is not always the most luxurious. I don’t know how the gold miners did it in the late 1800s, because it can be brutal throughout the year. From cold winters to hot, dry summers, it always seems like a challenge. And while summers bring lots of excitement to life, it is harder for me to find as much beauty in the landscape. The grass is all dead, the trees are dark green, water is drying up. The heat and lack of rain take a toll on the wildlife. The beauty is still there, but it may be a bit more hidden. Just like winter, summer is a season of waiting. How long can everything in the environment hold out until the first signs of colder, wetter days approach in the autumn. The environment becomes stronger and patient - there is so much beauty in this. The beauty is not always in the flowers or the leaves that change colours, its in natures amazing abilities to adapt to its ever changing climate. 

[exploringca]

Every season in wine country seems to have some magical beauty to it. This year was my first time spending spring in Sonoma County, and wow, was it amazing! All the grass was bright green, the trees were in full bloom, and the vineyards were full of wild mustard. To be in a field full of thousands of yellow flowers is mesmerising. The wind rustles through the trees surrounding the vineyards. The sun slowly sets behind the mountains. A late spring rain awaits in the evening. Hundreds of years of history lie within the wild mustard after being spread by the Spanish missionaries. After weeks of driving past the bright yellow fields, I was finally able to stop on Highway 12 in Kenwood which must certainly be one of the best places for vineyards full of mustard. But until next spring the mustard will only be a memory.