obvious way plants can fight to defend themselves. An animal would run away as a rule,
but plants generally lack mobility. This has important consequences for us too. If you
should find yourself marooned in some isolated and unfamiliar place far from home, it
is much safer to find food by catching some kind of animal than by eating plants. The
muscle meat of a poisonous snake is quite safe to eat, so are earthworms, slugs, most
insects, and any bird or mammal. However, plants have such a wide selection of poisons
of various kinds, and in various parts (fruit, leaves, roots etc) that it is not safe to
experiment on oneself. Everyone knows they should avoid eating unfamiliar fungi, but
not everyone realises green plants are just as bad.
However, for those of you who are not interested overmuch in the plants, I also came
across several animals, mostly dead. The first was a Slow-worm. I have not seen one of
these for many years, but, in spite of being only half present, it was the front half, so the
head and neck were clear to see. A friend of mine who has lived in Cranham all her long
life, remembers these areas were always full of Slow-worms, and in the years pre-war
and post-war the local children used to go out and try to catch them (usually
unsuccessfully, thankfully). The next was a rat, belly-side up, and being devoured by
loads of flies and other insects. I give dead rats a wide berth, as you never know what
diseases it, or its fleas, may be carrying, so I am not sure which type of rat it was. I
understand the brown rat is the common one nowadays, and it certainly could have been
that. Some animals were alive, including a fox, in broad daylight, sloping away out of
my path, and a rabbit or two, and also a weasel which I was pleased to see. I know
weasels are common, but they are very shy and I rarely see one. All this in two days!
This was the two days near the end of June when thunder rumbled around for much of
the afternoon on both days, and some places had deluges of rain, but not a drop here, as
usual.
Further on into July the drought broke as thunderstorms raged around and a little rain
fell here while Romford, Brentwood and elsewhere had more deluges. We dug up our
new potatoes, and estimated the total yield was about the same as the total weight we
had planted ie new ones for old but no gain. However, wild flowers are recovering. At
Belhus Woods Country Park we saw a Grass Snake slithering quickly across our path to
escape us. It was a good size; about 40cm long and thicker than my thumb. This same
Park was where we saw old eggs of Grass Snake a year or two ago, and earlier saw one
swimming, head raised up. I have also seen Adders there, twice in the last 5 years.
Clearly a good place for snakes!
Most of July was very hot, until towards the end of the month as I write the weather is
humid, warm and rainy. It feels a bit like Singapore, but not as wet as Mumbai (Bombay)
where nearly one metre of rain fell in 24 hours a day or two ago! There are some
advantages to living in England, but not many to being in London just now, with bombs
and scares of bombs too often for comfort. Out here in Upminster we feel pretty safe.
8
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 48, September 2005