In deepest Reading, wild life
enthusiast Adrian Lawson shares a lovely concept. As he says: ‘Now is the time
of the year when I wander around meadows staring at the ground.’
He’s on the hunt for flowers, butterflies,
hoverflies, wasps and beetles – and orchids.
Over the past 20 or so years, he
reckons he’s found most of the species that bloom locally.
It is heartening to read that
some even grown in parks, as the wildflower meadows have been managed for
nature since 1990.
However, some orchids have
disappeared, due to neglect – or unnecessary council mowing.
I was delighted to hear that he
even carries out a bit of maintenance, uprooting a threatening bramble seedling
for example, if there is a chance it will threaten something rare.
And even better: ‘I also spread
some seed around, these patches of wilderness are sometimes tiny and always
surrounded by roads, houses and other things which create barriers to plants
dispersing. I can give them a hand in late summer, and now I like to see if
anything has sprouted from my efforts.’
Good work, Adrian. Keep it up.
By Pamela Kelt
PS If you’re concerned about
council mowing in your county, sign up to the Road Verge Campaign, headed by
Alan Titchmarsh.
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