The exuberant height of meadow flowering may have passed now, in mid July, but there is still plenty of interest as we go into the last few weeks before they are cut down. There is still some greenery amongst the increasingly browning foliage, and colourful later flowers dotted around. Wild carrot (Daucus carota) is at its best, but there are far fewer than last year, when it was dominant at this time. Lesser knapweed (Centaurea nigra) is out now, in slowly increasing numbers. Betony (Stachys officinalis) brings a welcome splash of bright pink and is starting to establish: I counted 17 in the Front meadow, a big increase over last year. These have come from the usual autumn re-sowings of wildflower seeds.
The Oxeye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) that were at their height in early June are fading and going to seed. They have been extremely dominating this year in the Back meadows, so much so that I have pulled out hundreds of them after flowering, and also dead-headed extensively. I don’t want them to be so numerous or tall next year. Pulling them up slowly from the base removes most of the surprisingly shallow root (see photo). It probably does leave some root behind though, and also some of the stems inevitably just snap off. However, I am hoping this can help to keep them in check next year.
July is also a great time for butterflies, moths and other insects. There are Meadow browns (Maniola jurtina) and Gatekeepers (Pyronia tithonus) aplenty plus a visit from a huge dragonfly. I think it was a Southern Chaser (Aeshna cyanea), but haven’t managed to get a photo - sorry!
Photos: 1. Wild Carrot with Hover fly , 2. Betony , 3. Oxeye daisy root , 4. Gatekeeper butterfly
Anthony.heys@sky.com
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