Cowslip field

Our first day of fieldwork involved a short trip to the Great Fen where Chris and Pete are going to be monitoring the invertebrate fauna of some experimental paludiculture plots - these involve trialing a variety of wetland plants for commercial use, including species such as Sphagnum moss, Reed Sweet-grass (which has edible seeds) and Water Mint (for the essential oils).

While they sampled some ditches I had a gentle walk around the area. This field has been seeded with wildflowers, and at this time of year the Cowslips make a wonderful spectacle. In the background you can see Yaxley Church, which is set on the high ground that forms the edge of the fens, and would once have been at the edge of the sea (and probably will be again...)