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I want to look closer at some of the species that live on our site and why they thrive or grow there. Also to look at the connection between well-being and nature by seeing what types of plants would be good for both animals, nature and humans.
Photo by Erik Karits on Unsplash
I will start to look at a butterfly called "Small Skipper" I read on the wildlife trust (Small Skipper | the Wildlife Trusts, n.d.) that adults fly between June and August and they feed on knapweeds and thistles and are hovering close to the ground. "Small skippers can be found on rough grassland and sand dunes, along woodland edges and roadside verges, and anywhere else with plenty of grasses. They lay their eggs in grasses, close to the leaf node; the caterpillars feed almost exclusively on Yorkshire-fog, but can be found on other grasses like Cock's-foot." (Small Skipper | the Wildlife Trusts, n.d.)
They also write about what we can do to protect them; "Careful grazing with traditional breeds, hay-cutting at the right time, scrub clearance and coppicing are just some of the ways grasslands and woodlands are kept in good condition" (Small Skipper | the Wildlife Trusts, n.d.)
I think keeping the wild grass is an important part of these butterflies and to have knapweed and thistles growing there too. This could inspire a wild garden to help benefit this species more. (Knapweed is the purple flower in the picture above.)
(Thistle | Lila Blumen, Pflanzen Mit Lila Blüten, Blühende Pflanzen, n.d.)
If we look at the thistle we see that it is very sharp and pointy, which reminded me of the highly secured area with the barbed area and bushes with thorns. According to the pdf in my previous post, the Cirsium arvense or in English Creeping Thistle and the Cirsium vulgare in English is Spear Thistle that grows in Eastney beach. Waddington (2022) Talk about the benefit of growing weeds in your garden more specifically thistles. They mention the benefit of the Spear Thistle "This also has great benefits for wildlife, and has limited culinary uses. The root can be cooked and is somewhat akin to Jerusalem artichoke – and the flower buds can also be cooked and eaten. The dried flowers can also be used as a rennet substitute in cheese making." (Waddington, 2022) They write about the creeping thistle as well; "It spreads very quickly and is often considered a weed. But like the other thistles mentioned, it has great benefit to wildlife. Its seeds are an important food source for garden and farmland birds. Like other thistles, these too have historically been viewed as a human food source." (Waddington, 2022) They also linked a few sources that talk about the benefit for wildlife to have some weed areas in your garden. Many weeds could be used for medicinal purposes for humans. According to Lofgren (2023), both of the speicies are both edible and have medicinal uses.
References:
Small skipper | The Wildlife Trusts. (n.d.). https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/butterflies/small-skipper
Thistle | Lila blumen, Pflanzen mit lila blüten, Blühende pflanzen. (n.d.). Pinterest. https://pin.it/1PCskX0
Waddington, E. (2022, October 6). 17 Types Of Thistles To Grow In Your Garden. Horticulture Magazine. https://horticulture.co.uk/types-of-thistles/
Lofgren, K. (2023, March 17). 39 Common Weeds That You Can Eat or Use for Medicine. Gardener’s Path. https://gardenerspath.com/plants/herbs/edible-medicinal-weeds/#Thistle
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