Tuesday 2 August 2011

Wild and Wonderful

I heard two things on the radio today that interested me. One was about how cities are possibly better environments for insects than country areas, due to all the green space and planting of suitable flowers. The other, was a man asking a question on some kind of environmental programme about whether it would be possible to use the central reservations of motorways as land on which to grow trees for coppicing, or other useful crops. The researcher on the programme said that this idea was being looked into. Both of these things relate to the picture below, of a piece of waste ground I passed on my walk today. It is next to the railway track. There is loads of ground like this-overgrown and providing a habitat to loads of creatures I should think. I have often seen foxes happily sleeping by the railway track and buddleia grows everywhere which the insects love. So there is something to be said for letting things go a bit wild at times. The wonderful part is The Mirror Shop, which I often pass in the car, but am not able to take a good picture. I walked this way today with the specific goal of picking up a beautiful piece of folded rusty metal which I have been coveting for about a week now, but it was also handy to finally get a picture of the shop. I don't know if anyone ever buys a meer cat or a Betty Boop. A nearby house has a crouching Spiderman on the roof-I think from here.


7 comments:

rebecca said...

i always recommend going a bit WILD!!!

could not resist.
and the mirror shop is such a hoot!

Linda Sue said...

I have no problem with wildness- our yard is becoming just that!
I could use a large super man, I think...

Rain Gauges said...

There not much problem with wildness...

Lynne said...

Some interesting thoughts. I watched a programme a few years ago about a woman that was planting up or sowing seeds of wildflowers along the grass verges. I certainly think that spaces like that should be encouraged to grow wild. I don't like it when they are continually kept short and neat.
I would buy a Betty Boop if I had some spare cash.

→lisa said...

I love overgrown spaces like that. We have a few wild spots in our part of the city. They're special places, great to visit when you want to feel like you're getting away from the bustle.

The Mirror Shop looks like a hoot. Their statues are so random. I suppose that they're good for attracting attention to the shop, even if no one buys them.

Anonymous said...

I wish someone would tell some of our insects that the city is much nicer....LOL! I think overgrown places can be nice hiding spots for ground birds, small animals, etc.

jabblog said...

Gardens are a very valuable resource for wild life. I hadn't heard about using central reservations - sounds sensible. Don't you fancy a meerkat?