England’s hedgerows are an under-valued treasure trove of tradition, beauty and quirkiness. To celebrate their richness, and to remind people of the importance of protecting England’s hedgerows for future generations, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has produced a new colour pocket guide.
A little rough guide around the hedges is packed with useful information including a handy pull-out centrespread with easy to use colour photographs that identify many of the plants that are common in English hedgerows. CPRE hopes it will encourage people to get out and about in their countryside during the late summer and early autumn.
Bill Bryson, CPRE President, says: “For well over a thousand years hedgerows have been a defining attribute of rural England, the stitching that holds the fabric of the countryside together.”
• The oldest known surviving hedgerow in England is ‘Judith’s Hedge’ in Cambridgeshire, which is over 900 years old;
• Over 125 of our most threatened wildlife species are associated with hedges. More than 80% of farmland birds rely on hedges for protection and food, and many threatened mammals feed on their fruits and seeds;
• Hawthorn – the commonest hedgerow shrub – gave us the original wedding confetti, with the white flowers being showered on newly-weds at traditional spring weddings.
Emma Marrington, CPRE’s Rural Policy Campaigner, says: “Hedgerows play an important role in maintaining the diversity of the countryside and make a major contribution to the character and beauty of the landscape.
“Now is the perfect time of year to get out into the countryside and see how many different species you can spot in your local hedgerows. These boundaries have been a part of the landscape for thousands of years and the more species you can spot, the older the hedgerow is likely to be.”
Hedgerows are the vital stitching in the patchwork quilt of the English landscape. They offer a wide range of benefits, from preventing soil erosion, to providing a safe haven and food resource for endangered British species such as the hazel dormouse. Other threatened species rely on the natural corridors created by hedgerows to survive, including most native bat species and the great-crested newt, emphasising the importance of maintaining a network of hedgerows as part of the wider landscape.
In towns and cities, hedgerows aid drainage, reduce the amount of air pollution and offer a habitat for urban wildlife. They also hugely improve the quality of built-up areas. Hedges have in many cases given their name to the land they enclose, for example Haigh, Hayes, Hawes and Haughley.
Emma Marrington concluded: “Hedgerows are one of the most iconic features of the English landscape but although some are hundreds of years old, they may not be around in centuries to come. It’s important we do everything we can to halt and reverse their loss and degradation, including improving their management and laws that protect them to ensure their long-term survival.
“We’d love people to use our new hedgerow guide to learn about their local hedgerows and help protect hedgerows for future generations to enjoy.”
Post a comment