Cow Parsley, weirdly distorted and dying, in a verge by Munlochy. The result of the verge having been sprayed with a selective herbicide. You're not allowed to pick or dig up wild flowers, so as to protect them, but it seems that certain members of the farming community are allowed (or think they are) to wipe out all the wild flowers by the roadside... you know beyond their fields and by the Public roads. There's not any concern about something as common as Cow Parsley. It's poor state is just an indicator of what's been done here.

Its made less obvious if the hedges and fences are removed first. Then the border between what's Publicly and what's privately owned becomes blurred.

Not the first time I've had a rant about this, as this is the third successive year I've noted this being done by certain fields/farms. Suspect they've been doing it for far longer than that, as the difference between the verges by their fields and those just beyond theirs, is dramatic... once you become aware of such things.

It's not just the plant life. For each plant there will be various animals that depend on them for survival. Some will move elsewhere, but many will have been eradicated, along with the plants.

Attempting to speak to anyone at SNH (Scottish Natural Heritage) merely had them rapidly pointing you elsewhere. "You mentioned chemicals. Speak to SEPA." Speaking to anyone at SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) had much the same level of interest, or disinterest. They did send some information... which was in no way relevant.