Hoo boy - the wild thistles in roadside ditches are just loaded with white down now. Soon it will float everywhere too and begin another cycle - much in the great neighboring fields of domestic strawberries!
The last time we tried to grow any brassicas, the white butterflies ate them alive, even though we netted them. Then a family of wrens took up residence and fed them to their fledgling babies by the beakload! It was such a lovely sight we didn't mind losing the cabbages and broccoli!
Our farmers last year grew a big field of fodder cabbage. They were going to process it and feed it to the cows with the maize silage to add vitamins and minerals so they wouldn't have to use so much imported soya supplement. In the end they just let the cows eat it straight from the field though. There were plenty of butterflies but only one corner of it really seems to get badly eaten, there was plenty left.
My neighbour used to raise a white butterfly farm in his cabbages every year, but he only grew them to feed to his rabbits. Then he ate the rabbits. Sorry.
I love your banner, makes my mouth pucker and water at the same time.
A delightful haiku. I can just see it.
ReplyDeleteI love the delicious looking apples in your new header photo.
Hoo boy - the wild thistles in roadside ditches are just loaded with white down now. Soon it will float everywhere too and begin another cycle - much in the great neighboring fields of domestic strawberries!
ReplyDeleteThat just describes the scene around these parts perfectly.
ReplyDeletelovely!
ReplyDeletelovely - sounds just like summer :)
ReplyDeleteLovely haiku.
ReplyDeleteThe last time we tried to grow any brassicas, the white butterflies ate them alive, even though we netted them. Then a family of wrens took up residence and fed them to their fledgling babies by the beakload! It was such a lovely sight we didn't mind losing the cabbages and broccoli!
Our farmers last year grew a big field of fodder cabbage. They were going to process it and feed it to the cows with the maize silage to add vitamins and minerals so they wouldn't have to use so much imported soya supplement. In the end they just let the cows eat it straight from the field though. There were plenty of butterflies but only one corner of it really seems to get badly eaten, there was plenty left.
My neighbour used to raise a white butterfly farm in his cabbages every year, but he only grew them to feed to his rabbits. Then he ate the rabbits. Sorry.
I love your banner, makes my mouth pucker and water at the same time.
'Thistledown' is such a soft, airy, beautiful word.
ReplyDeleteLovely. I've been watching seedheads floating around the garden today, and large and small white butterflies. x
ReplyDeletethat is very sweet - i can see this.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the work of the master, Issa.
ReplyDelete