Plant a meadow

 

After yesterday's reported idiotic assault on Stonehenge by environmental activists, I thought we might look at something you can do to support bio-diversity and help the bees out.

Going out this week showed a goodly proportion of meadowland despite the best endeavours of the municipal "as flat as a bowling green" grass cutting team on our greens and the edges of our park.

You might consider growing a small meadow, not least where some might of taken up front gardens for parking spaces or you may only have a balcony or small plot.

One thing is a good mix of wild flowers even in a narrow strip in a planter or direct to the soil will bring in more insect activity than your average mowed lawn which as good as having a green space is really does't support much.

Passing one property I saw more going on in a island of wildflowers by an area made into a parking area than a neighbouring flat grass garden.

You can involve children in doing this clearing the area and planting too so how about it?

Meadowland

Pure meadowland, excellent for the wildlife but a challenge for any humans walking or sitting upon for the number of creepy crawlies that like the idea of dining out on you to which my response was applying McMidge insect repellent all over the exposed skin.

It did work leaving me free from bites and emergency medical treatment given I go into shock and develop blood poisoning very quickly otherwise.
 

Back to the fields

 Week so far has shaped up well with plenty of sunshine around, not especially warm for time of year but certainly pleasant enough to be out without ones coat on just enjoying everything as things come to life.

There was a good amount of insect life about, not least from the pollenators having had to carefully remove myself from their attentions in the middle of the week in a field where I could see a number flying out of a hedge in numbers.

Sometimes it's best to back off and revise your plans.

It's all coming out

 

The recent warmer spot brought out the catkins  around here that don't tend to have a particulary long season.

A sign it's only a couple of weeks to go to Spring, the daffodil's are starting to come up joined by some more flowers and given the semi seclude nature of this spot, I did use fill in flash.

The wild flowers of the canal

Everything appears to be coming out and so around the canal it's like a colourful relaxing meadow so long as one doesn't encounter a wasp on a mission.

Everything is very much in situ as it were with no tidying up of the scene.

Similar with this canal side wall with weeds and wild flowers growing between it as I dodged a few bees on the great nectar hunt.

In recent years there has been an attempt to put dedicate paths in for people to walk rather than just walking along the actual canal tow paths that were wide enough for horse to help to tow the barges through.

This is one leading to a viewing spot with seats ideal for passing the time of day upon.

Exploring - talking a walk around

 

One thing you cannot go far without encountering are traditional drystone walls that criss-cross many a field such as this.

I noticed quite a variety of different tree species while exploring the area probably helped by the relatively high rainfall in this part of England.

A good number of properties in the area are made from stone such as this big rambling house I observed making my way towards Arnside, the details of which you can observe through the trees in the ground.

There were a good number of wild flowers to be found helped again by the climate and a relative lack of pollution.

The odd small circle you may spot in the pictures is from the rainstorms when taken and necessitated a drying out and cleaning after use of the camera.