‘Bloody awful’

Day 263 #365DaysWild

The warmest February ever recorded.

Grey.

And wet too.

Unseasonably great growing weather and, my, has our lawn grown!

As a consequence our ‘lawn’ more-closely resembles rough grassland. Purists would throw their hands up in horror.

My first ‘mistake’ was to sow a grass and clover mix. Insects love it. But our farmer friend shook his head in bewilderment as he walked across it. ‘I can give you something to get rid of all this clover’ he offered.

Of course, it’s a place for footballs and picnics and tents. It’s a place for burrowing through a long wavy jungle..

I never scarify or weed & feed. The lawn is bouncy to walk on, so thick is the thatch of moss and dead grass. Hopefully a home to the detritivors at the base of the food chain..0

Islands of unmown grass to give our sparse crocus the chance to build up for next year. And then, controversially, an island of unmown grass to protect a field vole colony.

What!?!?

My poor old late dad would have thrown his hands up in horror at all my nonsense but especially this -encouraging voles to live in the lawn!!

If we want kestrels and tawny owls, we need a flourishing population of small mammals.

I asked mum what she thought of the lawn after I’d finished.

She answered ‘Bloody awful’.