I took this photo last night as I was coming home from the allotment. The sun was setting over the rapeseed field and illuminating the grasses along the headland. This is a broad strip of land on the town side of Townsend Meadow, left uncultivated as a defence against flash floods. The variety of grasses that grow here is bewildering, and I’m sorry to say I have never tried to learn which is which. They are very beautiful though in the evening light.
Grasses (Gramineae) are among the most successful plants on the planet and, excluding the polar zones, cover 40% of the earth’s surface. They of course include cereal crops, rice, bamboos, and pasture grasses and so are of immense importance to humanity. Grass is also an elephant’s food of choice, making up a substantial part of its 300-400 lb daily vegetable intake. I mention that fact here because our headland grasses have so benefitted from the agrichemical feeding of the rape plants uphill from them that they are now doing a pretty good impression of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) also known as Napier Grass. This particular grass featured in he-who-builds-sheds’ doctoral research on grass smut in the Kenya highlands, and so is a species close to our hearts, and we both know how to identify it.
Coming up is another grass I know: wild oats. The sun was reflecting off its spikelets, which was all rather mesmerizing.
Thursday’s Special: Lost in details This week Paula has given us an intriguing challenge and photo to match. I’m interpreting it here both in words and images 
Tish Farrell 
Beautiful capture of the grasses in the evening light along with some insightful commentary on the importance of these abundant plants!
Thank you, Peter.
Nice one, Tish! I haven’t lost myself in any details yet….
I’m sure you will though 🙂
Time will tell!
Delightful post… wonderful photography, and a great pleasure to follow your focus on grasses. Love grasses, and am especially fascinated by grain, Tish.
It is a very important topic, isn’t it. I noted your mention of rye bread at your supper party. I’m rather keen on Kamut/Khorasan.
I didn’t know what Kamut was when I read your comment. But fortunately, with the help of Google translate and Hebrew Wikipedia I was able to learn quite a bit. It sounds wonderful, and according to the internet it’s available here in Jerusalem commercially. So I think I’m going to try and bake some bread with it. They say it has a nutty flavor. Thanks for the lesson.
I’ve not tried bread, but it makes good pancakes and amazing shortbread – v. simple – butter, sugar, flour and it tastes like fudge (soft toffee) – if you know what that is. Great with fruit.
I love grasses and am pleased to see that they are being used more and more in garden design. Wonderful photographs. Janet 🙂
Thank you, Janet. I agree that it’s good to see more grasses in gardens. There are some wonderful ones too.
But where is the grass that you smoke?
🙂 That would be telling…
Lovely grasses Tish. I have some purpley ones growing in my ‘wild’ area – I think possibly Yorkshire Fog. I know, a long way from home 😀
No fog at the minute but I have in mind some very pretty grass I’ve seen in the Algarve, which has purpley tassles. No idea what it’s called, as usual. 🙂 🙂 Tish- you’re always an education. Now I need to visit Paula.
They’re all pretty amazing once you get around to looking at them. I should imagine the Algarve has a wonderful array.
They’re very lovely.
That first photo is gorgeous. Looks like the cover of my book of poetry, except my photo was of a wheat field.
I can imagine wheat as a very pleasing image for your book cover.
These are gorgeous images. What pretty details to get lost in.
I was very late home for supper!
Just as well you don’t have a pet elephant. Your allotment would be struggling to feed it, despite its prolificity
Ha! Could do with hiring a small one for a half day. There is one momentous ‘elephant grass’ plot alongside mine. No one wants to take it over.
Lovely photo Tish and I agree about the beauty of grasses. I love to see fields of corn rippling in the wind with the sun catching them too it is pure delight
Alchemical grasses turning to gold!
🤗
Definitely mesmerizing, and gorgeous!
Thank you, Jennie.
You’re welcome, Tish.
Good response to the challenge Tish. Have you noticed the current bread trend of ‘ancient grains’?
Oh yes. I’ve long been a spelt and kamut groupie.
You should let a couple of elephants loose in Wenlock, so they can feel their oats.
Love it. Elephants running amok 🙂
Finding order in disorder – that’s what you did here. Gorgeous light, Tish!
It was a good moment, sun having a final fling for the day 🙂