Watching Grass Grow

I was inspired by a post called Busy Doing Nothing by a friend of TLC Art Project Severine Cochard which introduced me to the idea of No Mow May.

Image by Rae Story

To be honest No Mow May suited me down to the ground - especially as we had long-tailed tits nesting in the hedge and it just seemed rude to turn on a loud lawn mower right next to their exquisite and tranquil nest setting. Also, every year I keep on top of my small circular lawns as a way to create some order among the chaos of the rest of the garden it always seemed like the right thing to do.

But in lockdown, I realised that no one else was going to see our garden. And I also realised that I have been conditioned to see a lawn as a lawn and feel agitated when it gets a bit too long and starts to look 'untidy'. So I decided to go with No Mow May and see what happens...

I loved it so much I had No Mow June and now I am in No Mow July!

Image by Rae Story

Honestly, I feel embarrassed to say that I have never watched grass grow before. I mean in the way that I watch other plants grow and go through their cycles in my garden and allotment. I had never watched grass grow from being a neatly kept lawn into a wild meadow or pasture. It has been such a delight. Surprising to see how many varieties of grass there are in my single lawn, and how beautiful they are.

Here is a short video of the grasses about a month ago, I love that when the wind blows the grasses move together like the ocean with rippling waves. The single grasses have their own iconic beauty but together they form a different pattern and work as one.

Other insights from having this pasture on our doorstep is awaking to see the pathways used by the animals at night, the fox and the cats use the same pathways as we do, but the hedgehog clearly saunters in its own pathway to the water bowl and beyond on their night time journeys around the avenue.

Anne sent in this link about 'Desire Pathways' here:

https://emergencemagazine.org/story/desire-paths/

Anne W also sent these brilliant photos below of the meadows where she walks her dog and has managed to capture some of the wildlife activity within the grasses and wild flowers - see what you can spot here:

Click on the images below to see enlarged:

It is always pretty special to see Dragonflies - here are some interesting facts that you may not know about Dragonflies https://www.treehugger.com/things-you-never-knew-about-dragonflies-4864302