Wild Flowers

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Wild Flowers

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   All the nearby fields around the towns of Ballyghastly and Dunshaggin have been intensively farmed for years.  Over grazing and frequent ploughing combined with heavy fertilizer usage and chemical spraying have greatly diminished the variety of what were once common wildflowers.  Some of these fields have now been filled with new homes in this Tiger economy and the plants used for landscaping are getting as monotonous as the architecture they are supposed to enhance.

   I had to re-fence a long stretch of my property bordering on the Bog Mile last year and decided, for posterity, to seed the turned up ground with wildflowers.  The poppies, cornflowers, campion, and others are coming up beautifully these past few weeks and look great growing along with a variety of grasses.  It adds contrasting colours to the roadside and is a joy to the eyes.

   The striking reds and blues really stand out and are attracting all sorts of little flying creatures including bumble and honey bees, hoverflies and butterflies.  These flowers are seldom seen around anymore and it is great to see new ones blossoming daily and brightening the area.

   Little winged creatures are not the only ones noticing the change to the scenary.  Over the past few days I was finding that some of the blooms were missing and that the stalks were shredded.  Being that they are wildflowers they are not bothered by snails or slugs as other plants and flowers introduced to the wild are.  The plants were too tall for the hares to chew off the tops and none were trampled by shifting cattle or driven over by traffic. 

   The cornflowers, which are bright blue, seem to have been the most affected and as these were few in the wildgarden I kept a particularly close eye on the others for any clues.  The plants are tall, over two feet, and have a dozen or so flowers that spray out into a fan like fireworks on thin stems.  One plant was missing tonight when I checked after work.  It had been pulled out by the roots, a big gaping hole in its' place, and nowhere to be seen.  Now what kind of wild animal could have done that?

   I suppose I could get upset that someone had pulled up the plant and carried it away, it will not live if they try to replant it; but, after some thought I realized that although it's a shame, it is more of a compliment to the idea of bringing back the much needed wildflowers to our countryside.  Anyway maybe it brought a smile to some girls face to think her man was so thoughtful as to bring her a rare flower.