the daydream fund challenge thread

Itismehonest

rhiwfield wrote: »

re Wiki horse no nos.

We've got:

Ground Ivy LOTS! (once used for flavouring ales)
Solanum dulcemara (bitterwseet)
Oak
Red Clover
St Johns Wort (5 species I think)
Ragwort
Buttercups
Bracken
Foxgloves
Male Fern

Last field grazing, apart from rabbits, was horses, who were fine. But not cut for hay.

Yes, we have tons of listed nasties, too, but don't cut for hay.

It's really the ragwort & bracken followed by dock which we try to keep well under control. As I said before, animals seem to have more sense than many give them credit for but we like to keep the worst plants down (not only for the animals but from a visual point of view) & also because our farming neighbours are very good at making sure they keep theirs under control.
Sadly, the same can't be said for the people who own the adjoining land "looked after on behalf of the nation". It took us years to clear back the bracken, bramble & general overgrowth which had encroached from their land
Apart from being a potential nasty (although it was traditionally dried & used for bedding) the bracken is dreadful for harbouring ticks.

Sunny at the moment here but the sky looking toward the SW is a dramatic dark grey. Rain is on it's way, I think.

lostinrates

rhiwfield wrote: »

re Wiki horse no nos.

We've got:

Ground Ivy LOTS! (once used for flavouring ales)
Solanum dulcemara (bitterwseet)
Oak
Red Clover
St Johns Wort (5 species I think)
Ragwort
Buttercups
Bracken
Foxgloves
Male Fern

Last field grazing, apart from rabbits, was horses, who were fine. But not cut for hay.

Heres the thing...you don't notice the problems, Beputtercup and st johns wort cause lots of problems that peoe just do not notice or connect. E,g. Very old horse here had a rash, like mud fever every summer. Her owner assumed it was mud fever......i believe it was to do with the st johns wort she grazed in. Many,many horses have decreased liver function becuae of buttercup grazing..but how many peoe run regular blood profiles.

Its uneconomical to run liver function profils on individual sheep and cattle, and so long as they well enough no one really cares. Doesn't mean the dmage isn't happening un seen. In the past, esp with horses we didn't see cumulative effect of this slow dmage because the animals were shot in early twenties or late teens when failing to thrive and considered retired. Now we tend to keep them as pets we are seeing it more.

I do not mean to be pedantic, but i have done an awful lot of dissections where i wonder what field the creature came from, and why the decision to pts is not reflected in the condition we see ...things that for all intents and purposes are not recognised. They usually have more sense than to gorge on nasties...but not always, but a nibble here and there could potentially do damage.

lostinrates

Rofl

My hollies have arrived. They are full up to height alright, but so weeny and thin, single tem whips, so we can have some standard trees growing from the hedge for topiary if we fancy it, but ....oh dear, they ARE weeny.


On the plus side they look very healthy and they are the height i expected, perhaps a little over. They are nicely regular in height too. Hopefully the trench will go in sooner rather than later now.

Itismehonest

lostinrates wrote: »

Heres the thing...you don't notice the problems, Beputtercup and st johns wort cause lots of problems that peoe just do not notice or connect. E,g. Very old horse here had a rash, like mud fever every summer. Her owner assumed it was mud fever......i believe it was to do with the st johns wort she grazed in. Many,many horses have decreased liver function becuae of buttercup grazing..but how many peoe run regular blood profiles.

Its uneconomical to run liver function profils on individual sheep and cattle, and so long as they well enough no one really cares. Doesn't mean the dmage isn't happening un seen. In the past, esp with horses we didn't see cumulative effect of this slow dmage because the animals were shot in early twenties or late teens when failing to thrive and considered retired. Now we tend to keep them as pets we are seeing it more.

I do not mean to be pedantic, but i have done an awful lot of dissections where i wonder what field the creature came from, and why the decision to pts is not reflected in the condition we see ...things that for all intents and purposes are not recognised. They usually have more sense than to gorge on nasties...but not always, but a nibble here and there could potentially do damage.

I've heard vets say similar things, LIR. Around here some animals stomachs can be found to be black.
Things like bracken & ragwort can apparently be almost addictive. Apparently some animals can get a taste for a nasty & end up hunting it out in the same way an addict has to have their fix :eek:

lostinrates

Itismehonest wrote: »

I've heard vets say similar things, LIR. Around here some animals stomachs can be found to be black.
Things like bracken & ragwort can apparently be almost addictive. Apparently some animals can get a taste for a nasty & end up hunting it out in the same way an addict has to have their fix :eek:

Acorns are commonly addictive. We had the issue with a paying guest who iplast autumn resorting to hopping over the fence we put up to gorge herself. . Created a fair bit of work, and in the end forced me to move grazing areas.

ukmaggie45

rhiwfield wrote: »

.
Christopher Lloyds "Meadows" is an inspiring look at unconventional creation of flower filled grassland that deviates from much accepted practice!

Just searched this on amazon, can't believe the price for the hardback! :eek: Might just about run to the used paperback. I'm quite keen to try and turn our back lawn into meadow, just mow round the edges so we can reach the flower beds. And we need to put stepping stones up the middle too so don't compact the ground when wet or frosted. Not sure if this will be a goer or not, maybe the GrandTwins will want a footie pitch when they're bigger... We do hope they will want to come and visit us and stay, so if they want a lawn they'll get it! :rotfl:

We have the National Wildflower Centre close to us, we intend to visit when we get some time. (yeah, and when might that be!!! Life just keeps happening and we're very disorganised too! )

rhiwfield

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

Just searched this on amazon, can't believe the price for the hardback! :eek:

OMG, and I've got a like new hardback! I'm rich .

I wouldnt have the nerve to charge those prices! Must be a bit like paintings, where the value rises after the artists death.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

thanks for the luck LIR it worked:T Just need to get my mitts on a bit more now....lol...

With the lamb/sheep midge thing, do you think its because we had a very mild autumn?

isnt there something called blue tongue caused by a midge?

I must admit i am lost with wild flowers etc, but i really do like seeing woodland floor covered in bluebells..... there is something very peacefull about it.

Davesnave.. parcel in the post tomorrow for you....

Itismehonest

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

thanks for the luck LIR it worked:T Just need to get my mitts on a bit more now....lol...

With the lamb/sheep midge thing, do you think its because we had a very mild autumn?

isnt there something called blue tongue caused by a midge?

I must admit i am lost with wild flowers etc, but i really do like seeing woodland floor covered in bluebells..... there is something very peacefull about it.

Davesnave.. parcel in the post tomorrow for you....

Yes, bluetongue is another virus carried by midges, CTC.
As far as Schmallenberg's is concerned they thought it was from midges that had hopped across the North Sea :think: but at least one must have got seriously lost because it turned up in Cornwall.

I always thought that midges liked damp places...... so the South West would fit the bill ..... but East Anglia & the SE are famously in mid-drought so that theory goes out the window :rotfl:
Maybe it's the midges that have drunk all the water over that side of the country?

Davesnave

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Davesnave.. parcel in the post tomorrow for you....

Great! :jI love surprises...... You're kind. :A

I wonder if RAS got his envelope today?

Just remembered, we planted some mushroom spawn yesterday. We lifted turf and put it underneath, mixed with a bit of very well aged manure.

Meanwhile I've been travelling around the place with an old puffball jammed between the wheel and the body of the wheelbarrow. My theory is that it scatters the spores more widely, but they're so small, they probably go half a mile anyway! :rotfl:

Today I've been poking potentially suitable plants into the face of the garden hedge bank. Very little grows on parts of it, as it's so dry. They're all species things, but not necessarily from this country. At present I don't know if any of them will work. I've never had such an inhospitable environment in my garden before. I just want to stabilise it, never mind the 'authenticity' of what works there!