JULY IN THE COUNTRY
MAKING HAY WHILE THE SUN SETS
A tractor follows a line of cut and dried hay in order to make bales. This scene takes place on a downland ridge in Dorset but the activity is repeated all over the country this month as farmers take advantage of dry weather to harvest the grass growth at its nutritious best. Much of the crop from improved pasture will be turned into silage – where the grass or other vegetation is compressed and fermented in air-tight conditions to create animal fodder for the cold months. But baling of hay and straw still takes place – a reminder of an age-old practice of storing the energy of summer for invaluable winter feed for livestock.
FIELDS OF WHITE POPPIES
A relatively new crop in the UK countryside, white poppies (though lilac poppies would be a more appropriate name!) are grown for a number of purposes, including the manufacture of pain-relieving drugs that contain morphine and its derivatives. This vast sweeping field of flowers, suffused in the sun’s pink glow, is in the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire and the poppies do well on these thin, nutrientpoor chalk soils. They have also been spotted in similar downland in Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Lincolnshire.
FISH FIT FOR A KING
This kingfisher, captured in the act of swallowing a small dace, was taken by reader Nigel Hodson on the Afon Rhymni near the village of Michaelston-y-Fedw close to Newport in South Wales. We all liked it so much we’ve promoted it from the Readers Photo pages (pp97-98) to here. High summer is a good time to look for kingfishers as they are extra busy catching tiddlers to feed their young. Stealth is needed as they are easily spooked and will zip away in a flash of azure blue before you can gather your senses.
STEPPING STONES
Steppingmost curmudgeonlystones bring walkerout the– therechild in is evena simplethe joy in bouncing from one rock to another and reaching the other side of the stream dry-shod . This is an extreme example – a series of granite boulders over the West Dart River near Sherberton. Beware that after heavy rain a winter spate can almost submerge the stones.
National Meadows Day Saturday, 1 July
Meadows can support more than 150 species of wild plants and flowers, creating a vital habitat for many animals. They play a significant role in pollination, carbon storage and flood risk reduction. However, since the 1930s, 97% of wildflower grasslands have been lost in the UK. This July, National Meadows Day, led by Plantlife, celebrates the diversity, beauty and importance of this habitat with more than 100 events held across the UK, including barefoot walks, cycling tours and scything workshops. magnificentmeadows.org.uk