Berries and crops

 

Berries and crops

                                        Taken through glass. 

Juvenile woodpigeon, in foreground, and adult on pyracantha.

In July we noticed rowan berries ripening in the woods, and that seemed exceedingly early. Rowan berries normally start colouring up in late August.

I caught the tail end of a report on the radio, suggesting that autumn and particularly winter would be challenging times for wildlife this year. The long, hot, dry summer has led to trees losing their leaves prematurely, and unripe acorns and fir cones are also dropping. Nature’s larder may not be able to provide so readily for the little creatures that rely on it.

In the garden, the berries on the brambles have also ripened early. Most noticeable have been the pyracantha bushes. The red berries are already being greedily and speedily consumed by wood pigeons. The orange and yellow berries are always later to ripen, but it seems that they, too, will be earlier than usual this year.

Farmers are warning that some vegetables will be more expensive. A strange weather system has given heatwaves and, in some areas, record rainfall, which has resulted in sodden fields and poor yields. For example, broccoli production is down by 50%.

I suspect that many root vegetables will be in shorter supply than usual. Carrots have increased in price by more than 34% in two years, mainly due to flooded fields.

The answer is clear. If you have the energy and the determination, ‘growing your own’ is the route to follow.