Cyn's Nature Notes: Yorkshire Verges in Summertime

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Yorkshire Verges in Summertime

Travelling through east Yorkshire I was spellbound by the sheer beauty of the hedgerows and verges. The diversity of plants in flower and their beauty gave me such a feeling of wonder.

I shall not be able to remember them all, but these I know, because I wrote them down as I saw them.
Here is the list and if ever you are lucky enough to find yourself in East Yorkshire then travel the back roads and lanes and enjoy the magic you will find there.
I saw: vetch, red clover,white clover, tall buttercups, small ground hugging buttercups,scabious, patches and drifts of stunning blue geraniums, tall grasses so good for butterflies, bright yellow tom thumb, creamy yellow toad flax, bright red poppies, purple thistles, creamy white umbellifers, red edged sorrel delicious in salads or just to nibble. At the back of the verges stately rose bay willow herb in huge drifts and by a field gate an enormous flock of chaffinches dust bathing.

The hedgerows are wonderful, they are alive with flowers. Great trails of heavenly scented honeysuckle hanging heavily down, blackberry blossom prettily peeping through, large white upturned bells of convolvulus such a nuisance in our gardens but so attractive in the hedgerows and creeping through the verges near to the road edges the tiny pale pink convolvulus.

Standing proudly at intervals above the hedges are trees of different types, oak trees which I am always so happy to see and sycamores which I am ambivalent about,because they are not a native tree and therefore not a great support for our insects, I would much rather see oak, birch, hawthorn etc. However I did notice how heavy they were with huge bunches of sycamore keys brightly green, tightly packed and hanging heavily down thrusting themselves through the leaves and waiting to ripen and swirl and dance round and round as they twirl their way to the ground. The new shoots were a most attractive orange, which I found appealing. The elders also are heavy with fruit as yet still green, but very plentiful.

The verges, the hedges, the trees were truly magical, but just as enchanting was the sight that met my eyes each time I raised them, because all I have described was bordering a patchwork of fields so green and lush that you knew if cows fed on them then their milk would be so rich and creamy.

This is the joy of travelling the narrow twisty roads of East Yorkshire in the summertime.

No comments:

Post a Comment

About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.