COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING
countryside
news
life
Compiled by Tony Ridd
DO YOU HAVE A
COUNTRYSIDE STORY?
what to
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for...
Toothwort
A parasitic plant found growing in the
leaf-litter on lime-rich soil, especially where
there is hazel or elm. More commonly white
or cream it can be tinged pink. Found in
woodlands and the shade of hedgerows,
when one is spotted others quickly become
apparent.
back to nature
A countrymans diary
What looked like being a February and March under
water, fortunately turned out to be one for the
record books, I think we wore factor 30 more than
we did jumpers!
It is, as I’m always saying, the middle of our busiest
time, unfortunately, (especially for the guys that
work with me) I dislocated my shoulder on the 1st
of February, banishing me from using a chainsaw,
digging holes or banging in tree posts, pretty much
all we do for the whole of winter
and early spring. Never mind, it
meant I could sit in the office and
catch up with all my paper work or
so thought. In reality it in resulted
with people popping round, and
me trying to beat the records for
‘most cups of tea drunk in a day’,
followed by ‘most trips to the
lav’!!!
There has over the last couple
of years been a slight decline in
tree planting schemes and new
hedgerows. I’m pleased to say
that it appears to be back on the up, with farmers,
landowners and homeowners, eager to improve their
environments.
A lot of this can be put down to grants, but I think
in general people are more aware and are happy to
invest and leave a legacy for future generations.
We often hear clients saying that they won’t live
to see the benefits of our work, but you would be
surprised, it doesn’t take many years for hedges to
start flowering and providing food and shelter, nor
for trees to grow bigger than their owners. Believe
me, the rewards are great when they start to arrive.
CALL TONY ON 07966 292334
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