Helping spring to come earlier
IN the news recently we heard that plants are flowering a month earlier as a consequence of climate change. However, here at Penyrallt we have seen no great change as the snowdrops are flowering at exactly the same time as they have always done and the other early signs of spring appear to be as normal.
Looking at it positively it could mean that we might be able to have cows grazing longer thereby saving the expense of silage and housing. Observing social media there are some farms that have already completed first-cut silage, something we won’t be doing for another three months. Perhaps Rhodri Morgan, when he was First Minister for Wales, had a point when he stated that “climate change is hardly unhelpful to Wales”. We should all be concerned about species and habitat loss, especially when so much has happened in our lifetime. Many of the solutions are obvious but there is no way that we are willing to compromise our cur
rent way of life. We all witnessed how air quality improved during lockdown due to the massive reduction in aircraft and vehicular activity, a fact confirmed by several scientific reports. However, we can appease our consciences by participating in some ‘climate mitigation policies’ or conservation, some of which seem completely hare-brained.
For example, a project in Scotland to help the moorland bird, the capercaillie. It involves the use of remote controlled tractors to mimic the disturbance that cattle would cause when grazing the moors. No doubt
the wardens and their assistants are having a wonderful time operating this expensive kit whereas a farmer would have used cattle which do not run on fossil fuel and produce food in return as well as safeguarding the capercaillie’s habitat.
Another scheme which is taking place in the east of England is the Shifting Sands project which is about creating habitat to encourage the rabbit population. This non-native mammal was introduced to Britain by the Normans. Duly escaping from their enclosures, and subsequently breeding ‘like rabbits’ (!) they began a thousand-year devastation to crops and woodland. Although they do make a tasty meal, as far as the vegetable garden is concerned any rabbit is a disaster (they even venture into the polytunnel) as indeed they are for any young trees. Were rabbits to be introduced now conservationists would be demanding taxpayers money to eradicate them (and applauding Mr. Mcgregor!)
Talking of vegetable gardens it is catalogue-gazing and seed-ordering time. I sometimes wonder why my resulting crops never look as even and perfect as those depicted in the oh-so seductive catalogues. There is clearly some very creative photography employed. Nonetheless, despite the rabbits, slugs and cabbage-white caterpillars we do manage to feed ourselves for a large part of the year.
We just have acquired a new toy for bedding down the cubicles, a sawdust dispenser. The old one was a wheel-barrow and shovel which ran on porridge and toast, this one runs on electricity so I am doing my bit for making spring come earlier. We have a steady supply of saw-dust here especially since Storm Awen caused so many trees to fall.