Small Farms and Cultivated Fields: Priceless

In late spring patches and ribbons of vivid colors are dominant in open landscapes. The spectacular, multi-colored bloom is Dame’s Rocket, a garden escapee gone wild.

Invariably, my interest in this wildflower opens my eyes to the visual resources beyond the bloom. Fields, mostly cultivated fields on local dairy farms, become a subject of interest.

Dame’s Rocket in full bloom 

Front to back: Dame’s Rocket, grain fields and woodlands (8June2017)

The appeal of cultivated fields is much more than the dynamic beauty of line, color and texture through the seasons. They’re wildlife magnets, providing critical habitat for a host of opportunistic birds and mammals.

Buck in velvet, foraging on new growth following the first cutting of hay (27June2017)

Hen turkey foraging in a hay field; there might be youngsters underfoot, chasing hoppers {1July2017)

Lingering storm clouds after days of torrential rains and damaging flood waters (1July2017)

Red-winged blackbird foraging in a field of barley (1July2017)

A hay field colonized by wild black mustard (30June2017)

Orchard grass, a common forage plant in hay fields (27June2017)

Photos by NB Hunter. © All Rights Reserved.