Survivor

I think of the east of England, where I'm sleeping tonight, as Britain's desert region. There are certain areas where the average annual rainfall is so low that it meets the technical definition. There are also areas where the soil is so sandy, and low in organic matter, that it is known as 'blowing sand'. In windy conditions, if the soil is bare of vegitation, the same effect that creates dust storms in the Sahara can occur. The wind moves one grain, which moves two, which move four, then eight. The outcome can be a significant loss of topsoil

Our hosts, however, live on the edge of the Fens - historically marsh-land. They explained this fen 'skirt' was wet and sodden in winter but dry in summer, supporting a particular mix of species adapted to that cycle. The drainage of the fens, and the associated water management, have reversed the situation: now the winter soils are drier, but the summer water table is maintained at a higher level, changing the species that grow here, and altering the entire ecosystem. Once common species of plant and animal are now rare

At home, we have had very little rain. This is the colour of our 'green' drive - which is deliberately grown on sandy soil, to keep it drained enough to drive on in winter. Rough hawkbit must be a tenacious and resilient plant to throw up flowers in these conditions, when its leaves are so dessicated