'Thuggery'?

Bracken is now well established reminding us that we've moved from spring into summer. The least liked of native plants and worthwhile asking why. It spreads and dominates large open areas which might otherwise in "ideal" circumstances be home to more variety. Already some walkers have expressed their distaste by attacking the pathside bracken fronds with sticks.

One university academic with something of a vested interest has labelled Bracken alongside Bramble as 'thug plants'. Funding from the herbicide industry may go some way to explaining why. Even so it's a bit rich for humanity, responsible as we are for more destruction of nature than any other species to talk in this way of native plantlife.

Standing against Bracken is its assymetrical, and therefore subjectively less attractive, appearance. Nobody could claim it to be pretty. Other ferns now in full maturity easily beat it in the beauty competition.

Yet Bracken's apologists might well point to the fact that it is merely being opportunist, something that humanity has itself specialised in. Those places where Bracken dominates are in fact the very places where man has exploited over centuries clearing native woodland and if man would just back off for a long period Bracken would lose its vigour as trees returned. Rewilding is the best solution.

Once the attacks, verbal and physical, on Bracken from conservation and farming interests were justified by an exaggerated narrative to the effect that wildlife found no use for this plant. Now that opinion has been revised and it's conceded that plenty of wildlife lives happily alongside it.Various fungi and a select group of wild flowers manage to thrive in and around this 'thug'. And it provides excellent shelter for various birds and mammals. One example from this morning, pictures a few seconds apart: