Hawthorn and Hedgerows

Hedgerows make me happy.

Not just as part of a patchwork landscape, but in the way they are used to define borders, in our gardens and parks. In our cities hedges do a great job of softening hard landscape, muffling urban noise, reducing pollution and providing a home to all those birds I hear singing on my way to the office.

At this time of year, hawthorn blossom - known as May - is blooming, and brambles are putting out new shoots; a promise of hedgerow harvests in the autumn. New growth is beginning to cover bare branches, and birds are taking advantage of the cover and starting to nest. 

Photo credit Colin McEwan CC BY 2.0

Hedgerows provide an invaluable service to our biodiversity, and are an essential habitat for many plants and animals; this includes 130 Biodiversity Action Plan species. They provide a living highway for many creatures, butterflies, birds, bats and hedgehogs to name a few; over half of our mammal species use hedgerows.

They also provide what are known as ecosystem services; services that nature provides which would have a real impact on our economy if we had to pay for them. These include pest control, preventing soil erosion, regulating flood water, carbon storage and reducing air pollution including dangerous particulate matter.

A hedge can be hundreds of years old and contain many different tree species. Sadly many were ripped up post-war to make way for agriculture and building. More than half of the remainder are in poor condition, due to pesticide use and neglect. Many are brutally cut at the top and sides, but left unmanaged at the base leading to large gaps as the trees grow. The ancient craft of hedgelaying  prevents this problem by laying down the hedge to create a living barrier with no gap at the bottom, that will not only prevent livestock getting through but also last for up to 50 years before it needs doing again!

Look after the wildlife in your own hedges by avoiding pesticides and not trimming in nesting season. Planting native hedge species in your garden will encourage wildlife; the addition of some blackthorn or dog rose can provide painful deterrent to intruders! Looking after a hedge like that can be its own reward, as you toast the fruits of your labour with a sloe G&T while you watch the butterflies and bees dancing around your greenery.

A version of this was article was first printed in Sheffield Star 23/5/2016 and can be viewed on line at
 http://www.southyorkshiretimes.co.uk/news/today-s-columnist-claire-hanley-opik-a-bustle-in-your-hedgerow-1-7925985

Cowabungababy

I have not been foraging today. I had a lot of work to do that required me sitting in front of a screen. It's not all bad though. I do get this view from my office:

I'm not sure if you can see clearly (it was just taken with my phone through a window), but the cow in the front left foreground is suckling a calf!

There's another one in the herd (not pictured) that looks close to giving birth too, so I'll be keeping an eye on her over the coming weeks. I'm just glad they can't get to the apple tree on the far field; I have plans for the windfalls from that tree this weekend (I do likes me scrumpy)!

Tunnel Vision

Last week we went on one of our regular routes, and it occurred to me that if I wasn't careful I could spend all my time looking closely at the shrubs and ground cover instead of the bigger picture. So in favour of balance, have a lovely picture of part of our walk.
I don't always forage on my walks. Sometimes the walk is enough, although usually I do have a bag in my pocket 'just in case'. I find it difficult to walk past without picking. The thought of something going to waste 'bothers my nose' as Mum would say!

Fat sloes

 Even when not actively picking, I've always got my eye on what's coming up. Further along this path, at the end of the tunnel where there is more light, the blackthorn bushes are smothered - or as we'd say 'snided'- in sloes.

Ideally we'd wait to pick them until after the first frost, but my fingers are twitching - and I do have a freezer. I must resist - there is a lot of other fruit in need of picking first!