In our village of Uphill we have a meadow which you pass as you enter the village; it’s called the Donkey Field, because donkeys used to graze there, but it is also called the Bluebell Field, and the reason is obvious! The meadow is now managed by the Woodland trust, a charity which cares for trees, woodlands and forests. Occasionally there are a few cattle put in there to graze, and sometimes a few sheep, to ‘manage’ the grass ad keep the brambles and docks at bay.
In the spring there is a procession of flowers blooming, first the snowdrops, then the primroses and crocuses, then the daffodils, and now it is the bluebells and cowslips. As I photographed it today I was struck by the number of wild flowers I could see, just in a brief survey; daisies, buttercups, dandelions, errant primulas, whitebells as well as the blue, wild geraniums, cow parsley, celandines… and they were just the ones I was able to see and identify.
A carpet of bluebells
The old railings keep everyone out so all canenjoy!
Cowslips smell divine
Lois Elsden 