A Tangle of Bracken and Bramble
As we move into late summer, the Fingle landscape gives us a final flourish of green before the shades of autumn gently change the woodland palette. The deep emerald blanket of bracken that clothed swathes of the hillsides for the summer months begins to slump under its own weight, supported by a web of spiny bramble stems that sprawl through the undergrowth. The fading foliage is now punctuated with blackberries, ripening with sharp reds and bursting purples.
For the wildlife, this mass of stems and leaves comes into its own as a perfect home, a refuge for many species. Butterflies in search of a final drop of nectar from the last of the pale pink blossom, stop to bask on their sunlit landing pads. Amphibians leap for shady cover as a human shadow approaches, while small birds maintain their frenetic fluttering, safe in their labyrinth of leaves.
For the wildlife, this mass of stems and leaves comes into its own as a perfect home, a refuge for many species. Butterflies in search of a final drop of nectar from the last of the pale pink blossom, stop to bask on their sunlit landing pads. Amphibians leap for shady cover as a human shadow approaches, while small birds maintain their frenetic fluttering, safe in their labyrinth of leaves.
Bracken and brambles are often much derided as untidy places that don’t appeal to the human eye but, in the eyes of the insects, the small birds and mammals, it’s a different picture. It’s home. It’s safe and it provides a bounty of life’s essentials all through the summer and autumn.by Matt Parkins
