Damsons


Bryony


very attractive, and although related to the Indian Balsam it is a native plant and does not out-compete other plants. The latest flowering canalside


plant is the bur-marigold, another in the daisy family. This has attractive ferny leaves. The flower had a large centre and very small yellow outer florets. It’s quite rare these days, and we’re lucky to have it around here. It isn’t the latest


flowering plant in the hedges, though. That is the ivy. At this time of year, ivy is full of heads of small yellowish flow- ers with a very strong scent, which many people find unpleasant. The flowers are full of pollen and nectar, and ivy is full in September of late bees and even butterflies. Last year someone called me over to look at an ivy-covered garden hedge in Station Road which was buzzing and alive with bees. There is even a special butterfly


that feeds on ivy. This is the holly blue. As its name suggests, in May it feeds on holly flowers. But it often has a second brood, and in Septem- ber it feeds on ivy. So the holly and


The Village September 2017


the ivy are linked in ways other than the Christmas carol! Insects are very active still in


September, including the spider- like harvestmen, and you will find spiders too of all kinds. One of the lovely sights of a September morn- ing is a dew-spangled spider’s web on the hedge. Elsewhere in the hedges are berries galore, colourful in red and black. The edible ones you can find now include


Waxcap fungi


elderberries, blackberries of course, rosehips and hawthorn. All of these can form part of hedgerow jams and chutneys, especially if paired with crab apples. The prettiest of the poi- sonous ones is bryony, which makes beautiful necklace-like loops along the hedges. The drying out of grass and the


start of the turning of the leaves gives a gentle golden glow to this time of year, where things are grow- ing naturally and not mown to per- manent green. Many other plants, such as hops, dock and bracken, turn


continues overleaf


Dock 47


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