Light Blue Bales - whatever Next?

In recent years more and more farmers have taken to using plastic covering to protect their bales from the wet weather. This is a very practical way to combat the increasing amount of wet weather we seem to be getting. However practical they may be, but some of the colours of these bales do not really fit in to the landscape very well.

This is the bird-nesting season and many of the smaller species are very vulnerable this month. Not only through predation from mammals like the fox and weasel, or crows, owls and other birds of prey looking for food to feed their young but also from farm machinery in crop fields where the fields are being cut for silage or hay. Birds like the skylark often suffer this fate, however they usually are lucky enough to have a second brood and raise some fledglings before the year is out. Areas of "set-aside land" have their advantages for birds this month because

Pen and sygnets

of the lack of disturbance for ground nesting birds. Also, if the farmer is able to leave the field margins, hedges, ponds, streams and unimproved grassland, which are usually rich in flowers then the insects can thrive and this in turn helps the birds to find ample supplies of food for their hungry chicks and sites to nest.

Already by the waterside many birds have had their young like the Canada Geese, the Mallard and the Mute Swan. In the woodlands there is a constant buzz of activity and noise from all the birds found there. Activities to look out for are birds song designed to attract a mate, or defining their territories or the sound of the young chicks screaming for more food as their ever busy parents endlessly supply them with flies, worms, beetles or anything that wriggles.

Burnet Rose Rosa pimpinellifolia

At this time of year the roe deer have their kids and the fox cubs are above the ground exploring the new world before them. The fox cubs can be seen playing in between feeding on whatever their mother supplies them with.

June is also a very colourful month with a profusion of flowers to be found. Up on the downs a number of wild roses have started to appear in flower. One of the more scarce species is the Burnet Rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia) on the chalk downland. This rose has numerous prickly spines along its stem and has a bright red hip that naturally turns black later on in the year.

Frog Orchid Coelogossum viride

Towards the end of June a very small brownish to green orchid can be found if you look closely called the Frog Orchid (Coelogossum viride). This orchid does not resemble a frog in shape, however if you look at a single flower you my just see the resemblance of frog sticking its tongue out at you.This species of orchid tends to like shorter grass areas that are well grazed and is believed to be pollinated by small insects.

Greater Butterfly Orchid Planthera chlorantha

In shaded glades or areas of woodland with dappled light you may stumble across the Greater Butterfly Orchid (Planthera chlorantha). This is an impressive white flowered orchid that does not resemble a butterfly at all, although in the past it was thought to be pollinated by butterflies.

 

Southern marsh Orchid Orchis praetermissa

However, with recent research it has been found to be more likely to be pollinated by night flying moths like Silver-Y- moths and Elephant Hawk-moths. Then if you happen to be anywhere that is wet and marshy, you may be lucky to see the pale pinkish-lilac to deep mauve flowers of the Southern marsh Orchid (Orchis praetermissa).

However if you are not lucky enough to see any of these orchids this year you can be sure to see the many colours and smell the scents of the more common flowers that are out this month. One flower that is dominating a number of roadside verges at the moment is the Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare). This flower is also found in old meadows, railway embankments and especially on disturbed ground.

Ox-eye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare

Next month I will tell you about some of the plants that will be in berry and seed.