Flower Meadow Flooded In Heavy Rain

Heavy  rain flooded bottom of meadow  I just hope the newly planted cherry tree survives . It was planted above the area that usually floods.The water table is very high as the summer was so wet .Now when we have heavy rain the water has nowhere to go.

 The water stretches right across the adjoining  field and on the other side of the hedge there is a huge amount of water covering the entire road 

Meadow going to sleep until the spring

Sadly I cut most of the meadow yesterday.Weather wise its been the most dreadful  summer with constant rain Ive not been able to collect and seed to sow for next year the seed heads just too wet to collect

This is the machine I use for cutting .You walk behind it like a lawn mower. I had to cut three times as the grass has never stopped growing and it kept flattening instead of cutting

After cutting I have to collect it by hand then transport it down to the bottom of the meadow and build it into a stack this will take the best part of a week.When this is all sorted I will do
the final cut for the winter with the ride on mower.

From failure to success

At the end of June I had to weed killer a small piece of the meadow  as it had become infested with thousands of rape seedlings . I re sowed it with lots of odd and old packets of seeds,with added Buckwheat .The Buckwheat was a great success, absolutely loved by the insects I'll make sure I sow plenty of it next year.The rest of the bed has erupted into a riot of colour .I am so pleased it has performed  far better than I had dare dream, knowing that it would be so late to flower I didn't expect much.

Resown after 21st June

Resown patch

Pink Shirley Poppy
Papaver rhoeas
2012m208

Coral and White Shirley Poppy
Papaver rhoeas
 2012m208

Deep pink Shirley Poppy
Papaver rhoeas
 2012m213

Clarkia unguiculata
 2012m207

Calendula officinalis
2012 m212

Alstroemeria
2012 m214

Forget me not
 2012 m91

Meadow birds

Lovely sights today there must have been about 50 gold finches feeding on the flowers that have gone to seed in the meadow. they very timid add fly off quickly then sit a distance away resting on the telephone wires waiting for me to go so they can continue their feast.

This evening the swallows were gathering they are getting ready for there flight back to Africa . Some of our chicks had only fledged on Friday after the Sparrow Hawk attack wiped out three nests in the out buildings .

Mid August flowers in the meadow

As we get well into August the flowers that are opening are less and less and soon the grass will be getting cut in the centre of the meadow and finally in September the sides.The grass has grown really strong and high and I just hope the self seeding of the Yellow rattle will help to control it a little better next year. A few butterflies have appeared this week but only Peacocks Eye,Small Tortoise Shell and of course plenty of Cabbage Whites 

Annual Flax
Linum usitatissimum
 2012m203

Bloody Cranesbill
Geranium sanguineum
 2012 m204

Californian Poppy
 Eschscholzia californica,
2012 m202

Chamomile Anthemis nobilis 2012 m188  

Chocolate Mint
 (Mentha × piperita
 2012 m201,

Common Restharrow
Ononis repens
 2012 m198

Crow Garlic
 Allium vineale
2012 m199

English Stonecrop
 Sedum anglicum
2012 m190

Golden Rod
Solidago canadensis
 2012 m182

Pineapple mint Mentha
suaveolens 'Variegata
2012 m206

Weasel's Snout
Misopates orontium
2012 m200

White Rosebay Willow Herb
Epilobium angustifolium
2012 m205   

Flowers Beginning of August

Purple Toadflax
 linaria purpurea
2012m184

Bifid Hemp-nettle
 (Galeopsis bifida)
2012m196

Blackberry bush
 (Rubus fruticosa)
 2012m194

Buckwheat
 (Fagopyrum esculentum)
2012 m191

Clustered Bellflower
 (Campanula  glomerata)
2012 m185r

Harebell
( Campanula rotundifolia
 2012 m186

Lisimachia firecracker
2012m197

Smooth Hawksbeard
Crepis capillaris
 2012m193

Spear-leaved Orache
(Atriplex prostrata)
2012 m192

Wood Avens
Geum urbanum
2012 m195

Meadow changing from yellow to purple and pink

The meadow is now changing from mainly yellow and white to purple pink and white . The Ox Eye Daisies have now gone to seed as has the  Birds Foot Trefoil and Yellow Rattle. The beautiful Pink Musk Mallow, Wild Carrot and the Lesser and Greater Knapweed now take centre stage. Usually there would be clouds of lovely butterflies but I can count the number I have seen so far on two hands with fingers to spare. Just hoping if we get a bit of warm sunshine we may see some. Quite a few Bumble Bees and pollinating insects but so lacking in butterflies.

Grasses

Barren Brome
Anisantha sterilis
2012m64a

Perennial Rye-grass
Lolium  perenne
2012 m176

Although I have not mentioned them so far this year. I think it is now the time to add the grasses. They do for the greater part of the plants that do grow in the meadow. I have not deliberately sown any grasses in the meadow .Any that have grown have germinated naturally from seeds already in the soil. I must admit these are only the ones I have been able to identify .I am sure there are more but I am not clever enough to identify them yet. These I have identified I have done with the help of ISPOT. 

Crested Dog's-tail
Cynosurus cristatus
2012 174

 I have added Yellow rattle to the meadow this year in a bid to try and stop the grasses out growing some of the more delicate wild flowers .I think it will take a few years before the results will be noticed

Cock's-foot
 Dactylis glomerata
2012 m172

Tall Fescue
 Festuca arundinacea

Rough Meadow-grass
 Poa trivialis
 2012 m177

Sweet Vernal-grass
Anthoxanthum  odoratum
2012 m175

Yorkshire Fog
or Creeping Soft -Grass
Holcus lanatusmollis

 2012  m179

Soft Rush
 Juncus effusus
2012 m180

Sheep's Fescue
Festuca ovina
2012 m171

Silver hair grass
caryophyllea
2012 m173