Track and road side stuff

Beside the road

The ditch beside the rural road is nature’s highway, home to a wide variety of flora and fauna such as the common iris amongst which the stork will hunt for food.

Here are a few of my favourite habitats

Here are the irises

Noch offers an excellent iris that is easy to plant but needs a dab of yellow or purple as preferred (yellow on P’dorf)

I really should place something beside the plant to give some of scale as they are truly tiny and super fiddly, this group of six took 30 mins, I have another thirty-three to make/plant.

Unfortunately, the little paper plants need to be supported after 'planting' in scenic glue for at least 45mins, just two at a time. With thirty-six plants, it is a tedious process for very little reward and despite the vast cost.

Weeds

Many years ago, inspired by Gordon Gravett, I took some bristles and dipped them in green flock, today they were finally planted, the Swan Vestas box is helping them stay sober whilst the glue hardens.

Thinking about the plants in the ditch and these two are the outcome, at just 10mm high, they were really fiddly to make using mini-forceps and a hot glue gun blobbed onto kitchen foil. The glue blob will be covered in green scatter.

How I managed not to burn my fingers is beyond me, unfortunately I need another half dozen.

Beside the barn

Just a few left-overs with dabs of Dulux tester.

Road and Trackside Flora

Roads and railways are a micro community, often bringing rural flora and fauna into urban environments. three of the most common plants common to railways are shown below.

Roadside

Trackside

Tragopogon pratensis, Jack go to bed or Meadow Salisify, the plant is distributed across Europe, commonly growing in fields (hence its name) and on tracksides. The local name derives from its habit of the flower head closing before noon, it is found in Germany from NRW to Austria as well as across warmer parts of Europe.

It can grow to over a metre in height and is a prolific weed, the milky sap can be dried and used as chewing gum.

The other endemic weed often associated with railways is Chamerion angustifolium, Rose Bay Willowherb. Its tendency to quickly colonise open areas with little competition, such as sites of railway and forest fires, makes it a clear example of a pioneer species. Plants grow and flower as long as there is open space and plenty of light, it is found throughout Germany and most of Europe.

Buddleia - the butterfly bush

Known as the butterfly bush, the fragrant flowers of buddleja are a favourite nectar source for butterflies. These undemanding, mainly deciduous shrubs, find a place in every garden with their spectacular displays of blooms and honey scent.