It is worth making an effort to get out into the countryside on foot (or perhaps by bike). Walking makes it possible to get much closer to the by-way swards and back-lane verges that thread their way through our amazing landscape. Our verges are now some of the last refuges for native wild plants and flowers, insects, birds and small mammals and also for our beleaguered micro-biodiversity that we don’t see and so mostly don’t think about. In recent times, councils and farmers have started to leave their verges and hedges uncut, to benefit nature and perhaps save money too – a win win, as they say! The result is that our roadside verges have become ‘biodiversity corridors’ that provide connections criss-crossing the countryside like a spiders web. They allow species to successfully migrate in many directions. More farmers and landowners are now replanting their hedgerows too and actively creating parallel strips for nature to thrive. The current UK government plan is for the restoration of around 50,000 kilometres of lost hedgerows by 2037. I hope the next government continues this policy. Here are some diverse photos of plants and insects that I have enjoyed discovering in our verges, hedgerows and field boundaries, over the last 12 months or so.

*A Marbled White butterfly feeding on thistle head*

A Marbled White butterfly on the head of a thistle. The above photo was taken during a walk along a right-of-way / field boundary in Wiltshire. This was my first Marbled White butterfly – there were many more to be seen that day too. The footpath ran between hedgerows and also between barley fields where there were no hedgerows, just the path itself with grassy verges either side containing patches of bright red poppies amongst other wildflowers. Where the path ran between the hedgerows, it was full of tall cow parsley gently swaying in the breeze. As well as butterflies, there were many bees, hoverflies and other insects enjoying the bounty. The footpath linked to a 5,000 year old archaeological site that had been left to over-grow as a planted / natural meadow. This had become an amazing oasis for nature … and for a few people too, simply sitting and breathing it all in.

*A Meadow Brown butterfly on a cornflower*

A Meadow Brown butterfly. They are quite a common sight around the UK. This one was photographed amongst the long grass and wild flowers left to grow alongside a small country lane in West Berkshire. Closer to home, on the Morayshire coast in North Aberdeenshire, pink campions can be seen everywhere. In some areas they crop up in clumps amongst the yellow gorse and broom – a chance to see pinks and yellows side by side – perhaps not a designer’s first choice colour-combination, but Gaia does not worry about such things! The photo below shows native wild geraniums and buttercups happily growing together – pinks and yellows once again.

A beautiful wildflower that is a magnet for biodiversity is Teasel. It is tall with an elegant architectural structure and looks best when seen growing in clumps. It also looks good in a domesticated cottage garden setting, planted back from the front edge of the border. The beautiful seed head flowers in an unusual way. Initially the tiny flowers form a ring around the middle of the flowerhead - curiously geometric. As these first tiny flower die, new flowers open above and below, creating a pair of rings that appear to migrate upwards and downwards. Bees love the plant as can be seen in the photo below. While the leaves and roots of the plant are edible, it is probably best to leave it to grow naturally, supporting the local eco-system.

*Bumble Bee foraging on a teasel flowerhead*

Cowslips can be found in many areas of the UK in late spring and early summer. They are part of the primrose family. They prefer rich meadow soils where they will thrive. As the UK has lost more and more of its meadows, so the natural habitat for these beautiful plants has reduced making verges even more important. Cowslips and other primroses also make a great addition to any cottage garden. The photo below was taken in England along the edge of an uncut field boundary where an area of meadow had been left to grow.

Many verges and country footpaths are covered with cow parsley in late spring and early summer. On its own it is not a special or unusual plant. However, in some locations, where the verges have not been cut and it has had the opportunity to spread, there may be so many that at times they may be only flowering plant that can be seen between footpath edge and the adjacent fence or hawthorn hedge. Their tall stems and white umbels ripple and sway as one, like a ballet dancers performance, becoming a truly beautiful and memorable sight. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts!

*A sea of cow parsley full flower, filling the verges*

Following a right-of-way across a downland meadow in the Thames valley, I once came across a field with many orchids, their purple spikes sticking up above the tussocky grass and herbs also growing there. That was a few years ago. It was just good luck, being there at the right time, as the Purple Orchid flowers in May and June. The same thing happened recently while walking a coastal footpath in Scotland - one that I have walked many times before, looking for wild flowers. Quite unexpectedly I came across a really small patch of Purple Orchids growing in the steep rough grass, where the path ran between a golf course fairway and the shore. Again, finding them was just good luck – right-time, right-place!

*Native Purple Orchid growing between golf course and beach*

With right-time, right-place, right-plant in mind, I thought I’d finish by mentioning the St. George’s mushroom – although it is not actually a ‘plant’! While walking the same stretch of Morayshire coastline where I recently came across the purple orchids, I also came across a patch of St George’s mushrooms. Surprisingly, this was the first time I had ever found this particular mushroom, even though I’m a keen fungal forager, collecting for the kitchen. They were growing through the short thin springy turf on top of the rocks right next to the beach. Apart from turning one over to take a photo of the gills, I didn’t pick any for the frying pan. Although I’m 99% sure of the identification, especially as they were growing in early May, mushroom poisoning can be fatal. When it comes to fungi, it is best to follow the simple rule, only eat what you know!

The above Text and all Photographs are copyright of Wincenty (Wicek) Sosna. Please contact SeeHow, for permission to reproduce in any way, in part or as the complete text.

The Verges of Happiness

Gorse, of Course!

Scentsations