The “Maxwell Meadow” …

Keeping neglected, but nice, corners of the world nice.

I am fortunate to be able to live in a small town west of Montreal that prides itself on its several neighbourhood parks/green spaces and an exceptional and extensive tree cover. In the years I have been here there has been a slowly perceptible shift in attitude towards “wildlifing” with a couple of small, experimental plots being trialled in one of the parks. Much of the rest is still close-mown because “that’s what people like”, or words to that effect. Each to their own.

At the north end of the town there is an exception. It is nothing special really, just a field bounded on the north by the TransCanada Highway and a busy rail line, on either side by large-plot houses separated from the field by mature trees, and to the south a residential road with a senior’s residence that overlooks the field. The exception that this piece of land enjoys is that it is partly owned by the town and partly by the highways authority who also own a narrow ransom strip along the southern edge. Nothing has ever been done on the land, it has never been sold to a developer (I was told there are soil contamination issues following road widening) and mostly it just sits there looking rather sorry for itself for much of the year.

Then in summer it suddenly catches the attention of passers-by as a variety of wild flowers burst into wild colour. I don’t think that there is anything of particular value from the biodiversity point of view in the field but it is colourful and attractive and it lightens the soul just a little as I walk to the local shops. Quite a number of the plants are not even native, though they are certainly well naturalised. A quick visit this morning to take the photographs below found within a few feet of the road red and white forms of Yarrow, two colours of Alfalafa, Queen Anne's Lace, Chicory, at least two species of Clover, Birds-foot Trefoil, lots of small, blue Butterflies, some Grasshoppers, and much more including, of course, birds in the surrounding trees. None of this is any the less valuable for simply being common.

Sadly, every year someone - I was told it is the highway authority but cannot confirm - comes in and mows everything to within an inch of its life at this point of the annual cycle instead of leaving it alone to be enjoyed. Not least by the seniors whose homes look out over the flowers. This destruction benefits nobody other than a bureaucrat in an office with boxes to tick and a mandate to keep things “tidy”. My post is simply a way to draw attention to the field, meadow, whatever you call it. Sometimes, keeping the common things common is as important, if not more so, than trying to save a scarce and endangered plant or animal … which is, of course, also important but we look after both in my world.

Note: My issue is not with cutting the meadow at all - in fact to keep it as a viable meadow it requires that a management cut be done once a year, in effect mimicking the effects of natural grazing. The important thing is to do this cut in the fall after seeds have set - not to cut during the peak flowering period which has so many downsides, not least for the butterflies. The fall management cut should not be too severe - leave stalks at around 4 inches and after seeds have dropped consider raking and removing the stems for composting.

I hope it’s not too late for someone in charge to note this plea and leave the plants alone this summer rather than sending in the mowers. At least, please put off the cutting until the flowers have gone and seeds have set. I have tentatively named the piece of land “Maxwell’s Meadow” after the seniors residence to the south - every field deserves to have a name.

caption...

Wild Chicory

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