Brownfield

Our first visit of the year to Whitemoor Marshalling Yard, where much of the brownfield land was literally brown. While the vegetation looks quite devastated, the key species in these habitats are well adapted to parched conditions and periods of drought. 

Biting Stonecrop is succulent, and although the yellow and reddish tones of the leaves show that it is very stressed, it will survive. Much of the remainder of the image is occupied by Cladonia lichens which have thrived as the drought has checked the competing grasses. These will effectively shut down their metabolism during hot, dry weather and will spring back into action as soon as we have some rain.