In his weekly column for Nub News the Radstock Mayor writes:

Some welcome nature notes in these trying times.

B&NES Highways Department, we hear is considering changing the management of the roadside verges, resulting in one cut from late July. In the interests of economy it will encourage wild flowers to flourish so that their annual life cycles will be complete before they are mown.

Once again we will see how the local flora changes with the season: the verges frothy with cow parsley one week and with all manner of flowering grasses the next. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have tried to harness nature- huge machines to till the soil, milk the cows or bus people to work. More recently the concept of humans controlling nature has become less evident and the current philosophy is that of working with her for the benefit of all.

Significant reductions in traffic and human activity owing to the recent lock-down have given us an opportunity to witness the effects of this co-operation. No-till agriculture has become commonplace and the discontinuation of many pesticides has promoted field-side wildlife and a significant increase in buzzards and other birds of prey.

My morning perambulation along the railway paths is accompanied by the chorus of many songbirds -louder than usual, it would seem- but indicating that all is well in the natural world locally, at least.

This week I chanced upon early purple orchids, twayblades and - joy of joys! - a colony of St Georges mushrooms.

Food for the body as well as the soul !

Rupert Bevan