Week 29
What is it about hogweed? The moment I utter the name, I see people frown, while passers-by sometimes reach across and snap the plant’s stem at its base, without a second thought. Yet mostly they have it wrong as they have misidentified common hogweed[i] as its toxic relative, the giant hogweed[ii].
Common hogweed smells like a farmyard and hence its name. Pigs would eat the foliage and roots with gusto. In the 18th Century, the people of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula distilled a spirit from the common hogweed, while the ancient soup borscht was made from its pickled stems, leaves and umbels[iii]. It also sits at number 8 in the top 10 plant species for nectar in the UK[iv]. That said, the plant species that contribute the most nationally are white clover[v], marsh thistle[vi] and heather[vii]. Together these three contribute nearly 50% of the UK’s nectar provision.
The giant hogweed is as it says - giant. It can grow to between two and five metres high. The leaves of a fully grown plant can be up to 1.5 metres wide, while its bright green stem has plenty of reddish-purple blotches and coarse white hairs. The giant hogweed is nothing like the common one. People hate the giant hogweed because they regard it as unsafe. The plant sap prevents human skin from protecting itself from sunlight, and protective clothing should be worn when handling the plant. Children should stay well away. Fortunately, my land does not contain giant hogweed, but it does have plenty of the common form, some with broken stems when passers-by have seen it, made the misdiagnosis, and killed a plant that was doing no harm. I wish they would do their homework before becoming vandals.
One piece of wildlife adores the common hogweed, and that is the red soldier beetle[viii], a truly beneficial insect that looks to be nasty but is harmless. It is a bonus to any renaturing programme as it gobbles aphids, while its larvae eat other pests as well. One of the beetle’s alternative names explains all, and why the common hogweed should be preserved. It is the hogweed bonking beetle[ix]. Bonking as a word is an understatement for red soldier beetles. I have seen 10 pairs of beetles mating simultaneously on a single common hogweed umbel. One swarm[x],[xi] of beetles was even trying a threesome and there was clearly no such thing as fidelity. On the umbel, they were swopping partners like crazy.
Inexplicably perhaps, pigs seem to feature in the renaturing world, not only the animal but the name. Many plants have a piggish name, not just hogweed. There is Swine’s Snout[xii], Heart-Leaf Pig Squeak[xiii], Pig’s Ear[xiv], and so many others. There is also the Spiny Sowthistle[xv],[xvi], of which my land has plenty. It has yellow, dandelion-like flowers and can be huge, even taller than me. Its leaves are edible and tasty when eaten as a leaf vegetable. Medicinally, the sowthistle, in its different forms, has many uses. The Cherokee Indians used it as a sedative, by making an infusion to calm the nerves. The plant has also been used to delay menstruation and treat diarrhoea, while its sap was once used in the treatment of warts[xvii]. Sowthistle has four times more antioxidant properties than red wine and twelve times more antioxidants than black tea[xviii]. Life is incomplete without sowthistle, that is for certain.
And pigs? Their value in restoring woodlands is only now being recognised and they might be a valuable addition to any renaturing project. It seems I had best forget finding a pet dog and start thinking pig instead. Pigs can break up dense mats of vegetation and encourage new seedlings to germinate. The animals are highly intelligent, can smile, are incredibly friendly, and the females are brilliant mothers. Pigs are unique among grazers in that they can eat almost anything. What is there not to like about pigs[xix]? Don’t answer that.
Not all cloven-hooved animals are trouble-free, and I am thinking of deer[xx]. There was a time when deer came and went on my land entirely as they wished. What was more, they ate anything they could find. Deer hate laurel, perhaps because of the cyanide found in its leaves, but cherry and Portuguese laurels are definitely deer resistant, so when I had to replace some trees, I went straight for Portuguese laurel and my deer problem vanished. I write that with hesitation, as with renaturing one never truly knows what lies around the corner. In part it is why renaturing is fun, although it is best to take each day at a time.
Thanks to a research paper I have recently read, my current worry about deer is COVID, as it seems deer can give it to humans. That said, some research from the US Department of Agriculture showed that humans are worse to deer than deer are to humans, as mankind gave COVID to deer at least 100 times. However, the virus then spreading widely among the deer population and there were at least three known cases of deer transmitting the virus back, in the opposite direction[xxi]. Animal-to-human transmission of COVID has been documented in mink (I have those), domestic cats (I see those), and now deer (I have seen those, too). Other animals that have shown the virus have included rats, otters, ferrets, hamsters, dogs, lions, and tigers. It thus seems important to keep the deer away, without doing them harm.
Dissuading deer is never simple. Since I planted some Portuguese laurel I have been lucky. Before that, I used flashing red lights at night-time with only limited success, as after a few months the deer learned that flashing red was no actual threat. Keeping all my gates closed was also simple, if not easily forgotten, but immensely helpful. It is so easy to forget the obvious things, especially as deer will take any chance to wander in. Tin cans are also good. Dangle several together on key entry points and pathways and the moment a deer brushes against the cans, the clanking will frighten the animal away. Or sprinkle something smelly near key entry points. A good mixture in a gallon container is one cup of milk, one egg, a few sliced peppers, one tablespoon of soap granules, and make up the rest with water[xxii]. This is easy, does not kill, and helps keep the deer away. My favourite deer dissuader is straightforward. It is to make an invisible fence using tall wooden rods, about five feet high, and place five rows of clear fishing line between them. The deer bumps against the fishing line, cannot see it, so backs off and does not jump, as it cannot work out the height. This is simple and effective.
I am slowly learning more about the grasses on my land, but the more I learn, the more I realise how little I know. Not only about grasses, but rushes and sedges, too. Telling one from the other is hard, although there is a common botanist’s ditty that goes:
“Sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses have knees from their tips to the ground”.
The knee refers to nodes, which are found in all grasses, between sections of the stem, or culm. Also, grasses have a round cross-section and are hollow. Rushes are also round, but not always hollow. The stems of sedges are triangular in cross-section, and solid[xxiii]. This is easily felt when you run your finger up the stem. If you feel an edge, it is a sedge.
My land has plenty of all three.
***
Acknowledgement
Take it from me - none of this would be possible without the help of RSG Horticulture. Rufus, who runs it, has far more energy than me and is full of ideas and skills. Do contact him through https://www.rsghorticulture.com.
References
[i] Heraclium sphondylium. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleum_sphondylium. Accessed 13 July 2023. [ii] Heracleum mantegazzianum. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleum_mantegazzianum. Accessed 13 July 2023. [iii] Umbel. An inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbel. Accessed 16 July 2023. [iv] Which flowers are the best source of nectar? See https://web.archive.org/web/20191214024659/http://www.conservationgrade.org/2014/10/which_flowers_best_source_nectar/. Accessed 13 July 2023. [v] White clover (Trifolium repens). See https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/white-clover. Accessed 13 July 2023. [vi] See entry for week 23 [vii] Calluna. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calluna. Accessed 13 July 2023. [viii] Common red soldier beetle. See https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/beetles/common-red-soldier-beetle. Accessed 13 July 2023. [ix] Rhagonycha fulva. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhagonycha_fulva. Accessed 13 July 2023. [x] Collective Noun for Insects. See https://www.grammar-monster.com/collective_nouns/collective-noun-for-insects.html#:~:text=What%20Is%20a%20Group%20of,insects%20is%20called%20a%20swarm. Accessed 16 July 2023. [xi] List of Collective Nouns for Insects 🦋 Insect Plurals. See https://www.adducation.info/mankind-nature-general-knowledge/collective-nouns-for-insects/. Accessed 16 July 2023. [xii] Funny, Bizarre Plant Names. See https://www.almanac.com/swines-snout-nosebleed-and-other-weird-plant-names. Accessed 14 July 2023. [xiii] Bergenia – grow Pig Squeak and have a little fun. See https://gogardennow.blogspot.com/2012/08/grow-pig-squeak-and-have-little-fun.html. Accessed 14 July 2023. [xiv] See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wIZ8zI1JgM. Accessed 14 July 2023. [xv] Prickly sow-thistle. See https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/expert-advice/garden-management/weeds/weed-datasheets/prickly-sow-thistle. Accessed 14 July 2023. [xvi] Sonchus asper. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonchus_asper. Accessed 14 July 2023. [xvii] Perennial sow thistle. See https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/pigs-wildflower-meadows. Accessed 14 July 2023. [xviii] Harford R. Sowthistle. See https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/sowthistle-sonchus-spp#:~:text=Herbal%20Medicine%20Uses%20of%20Sowthistle,-The%20medicinal%20virtues&text=oleraceus)%20were%20believed%20to%20be,problems%2C%20and%20freshen%20foul%20breath. Accessed 14 July 2023. [xix] Pigs and wildflower meadows. See https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/pigs-wildflower-meadows. Accessed 14 July 2023. [xx] See week 5 entry. [xxi] Feng A, Bevins S, Chandler J. et al. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in free-ranging white-tailed deer in the United States. Nat Commun 14, 4078 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39782-x [xxii] Scardelli L. 5 ways to keep deer out of your garden. See https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/a20706686/how-to-keep-deer-out-of-garden/. Accessed 14 July 2023. [xxiii] Harper L. Sedges, grasses and rushes: telling the families apart. See https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2022/07/sedges-grasses-and-rushes-telling-the-families-apart/#:~:text=Grasses%20have%20nodes.,Sedges%20and%20Rushes%20do%20not.&text=The%20other%20important%20point%20to,round%2C%20but%20not%20always%20hollow. Accessed 14 July 2023.
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