My local countryside is at last coming into leaf...
... the tree I see on my commute has only shown life over the last few days.
The hedgerows that border the lanes were bereft of greenery just over a week ago...
...hard to believe as I drove home this evening.
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Cheshire has some beautiful countryside and hedgerows like these have been the fence of choice for centuries... supporting a wide variety of wildlife including mammals, invertebrates and of course at this time of year nesting birds.
Cheshire has lost 66% of it's hedgerows since 1992... modern farming and machinery need bigger fields.
Approx 185,000 km of hedges have been destroyed in England and Wales since the 1980's.
One of the reasons for the decline of bird species in the UK.
Fantastic photos for SWF,Andrew!Have a nice weekend!
ReplyDeletesad to see that beauty replaced with more 'modern' fencing.
ReplyDeleteThis s great photowork!
ReplyDeletePerfect post for SWF!
beautiful, love the lone tree in the first shot.
ReplyDeleteSad to see the decline over mans greed, they should always be made aware of hedgerows are good. I like your tree.
ReplyDeleteNature always responds to a little bit of sunshine and better temperatures.
ReplyDeleteThe quest to increase crop yields for an increasing population has definitely had a dramatic effect on much of our wildlife.
Great photos and a nice area. The modern farming is killing many things.
ReplyDeleteSad to think of how humans are yet again responsible for decline in our wildlife - great photos as always
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy seeing pictures of Andrew's Tree. I like those road shots especially that first one.
ReplyDeleteI love that first pic. Hate to see hedgerows and in our area fence rows removed. Partly because they are shelter for wildlife and also because I worry about erosion. Would hate to live through a dust bowl like this country had in the 30's.
ReplyDeleteI do quite like that lone tree.
ReplyDeleteLovely shots of the countryside Andrew.
ReplyDeleteI like how you've got the road and the hedge and then the grass. Its interesting how the white lines end on the road and you can see trees in the back ground also you can see the road turning. The photos are amazing. epic post.
ReplyDeleteI love that tree! Glad to see it again! Too bad about the loss of so many hedgerows.
ReplyDeleteYour first pic is almost a still life! Now I come to think of it, it seems that a hedgerow is more common as a "fence" in Western Europe than in the USA (at least where I have lived).
ReplyDeleteHad to check to see where you are based because parts of Dorset have countryside like this too.
ReplyDeleteGood to see proper 'fencing' like that Andrew.
ReplyDeleteNature's life is supplying you with an abundance of beautiful greens.
ReplyDeleteNice to see the 'green' bursting out at last Andrew, it's been a long time coming this year!!...[;o)
ReplyDeleteLove all the lush green...spring has arrived for sure!
ReplyDeleteHow green everything is! Love your special tree as do a lot of other followers of your blog.
ReplyDeleteWonderful hedgerows...and so sad what humans, machinery, and modernization does to beautiful nature. Thank you for sharing these, Andrew. And I do love your tree, too :-)
ReplyDeletegreat shots! my fave is the first one :)
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