Common vetch

Common vetch (Vicia sativa) grows in grassy places and tilled ground throughout Great Britain, although it only lives up to its name in south-eastern England. It is an introduction from continental Europe, where various hybrids have been used for cattle food. 

There are two varieties of common vetch found in Great Britain, one with slender stems and narrow leaflets and the other with taller, stouter stems and broader leaflets. It was this second variety that was cultivated in Great Britain in the 18th century so that its seeds could be used for pigeon food. 

Common vetch can be distinguished from other types of vetch found in Britain because it usually has a pair of flowers and two black-blotched stipules at the base of each leaf. 

The stems of common vetch straggle along the ground or climb by means of tendrils on the leaves, which have four to eight pairs of leaflets. The plant grows up to 48 inches (120 cm) high. 

Common vetch flowers from May to September. The flowers are purple in colour. The pods are smooth or slightly hairy and contain between four and twelve seeds. 

© John Welford

Tufted vetch

Tufted vetch (Vicia cracca) is a common plant of grassland and hedgerows throughout much of Great Britain. Indeed, its tall spikes of up to 40 purple/blue flowers make it one of the more distinctive hedgerow plants. 

Tufted vetch is also sometimes used as a garden plant to provide a display of colour in late summer. This is despite its close relationship to the “hairy tare” (Vicia hirsuta) that is the “tare sown among the wheat” in the parable told by Jesus in Matthew chapter 13.

Tufted vetch climbs by means of branched tendrils that are similar to those used by other members of the pea family. The leaves have between 12 and 30 leaflets. The flowering spikes grow on stalks that are up to 80 inches (200 cms) long. Flowering is between June and August.

The sepals join in a tube that covers nearly half the flower. The seed pods are smooth and square-ended. They each contain up to six seeds.

© John Welford

Bush vetch

Bush vetch (Vicia sepium) is common throughout the British Isles, growing in grassy places, as a garden weed and in hedges. It is a sprawling plant that covers other plants and twines its tendrils around them. 

There are around 150 species of vetch, and they include the highly cultivated Vicia faba, otherwise known as the broad bean. There is evidence that cultivated vetches were planted from Iron Age times. 

However, bush vetch is of no use to humans other than as fodder for animals. 

Bush vetch can climb up to 40 inches (100 cms) off the ground. Each leaf has five to nine pairs of leaflets and a branching tendril. The short-stalked flowerhead has up to six blooms, which appear from May to August. The sepals are joined to form a tube. The nectar is particularly attractive to bumblebees. The seeds form in pods which go black when the seeds are ripe.

© John Welford

Purple milk-vetch

Purple milk-vetch (Astragalus danicus) is found throughout Europe from the Alps to Russia, but in Britain it is mostly found on the eastern side of the country, from the Chilterns to Scotland. It is especially common in the Breckland area of Norfolk. 

The habitat of purple milk-vetch is chalk and limestone soils, and also sandy areas including dunes.

The “milk” element of the name comes from the old belief that eating the plant increased the milk yield of goats, although there is no real evidence to support this notion. The plant has no food value to humans.

Purple milk-vetch has upright stems and many leaflets that are covered with soft whitish hairs. The plant grows up to 14 inches (36 cms) high.

Several purplish flowers are carried on each stem, well above the leaves, the flowers looking at first sight like those of clover. Sepals are joined at the base in a tube covered with short blackish hairs. 

The plant flowers from May to July, after which seed pods form that contain six or seven seeds.

© John Welford

Greater kudu

The greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsicerus) is the third largest species of antelope (after the Giant eland and Cape eland). It reaches up to 270 cms (9 feet) in length and 160 cms (5 feet) in height. Males are larger than females. 

It is identifiable from the conspicuous mane on the throat, neck and back, and the crosswise white stripes on its flanks.

Only the males have horns, which can be to 172 cms (6 feet) long. 

The greater kudu inhabits most of southern Africa south of the Zambezi, and eastern Africa as far north as Sudan and Ethiopia. It avoids open grasslands, preferring thickets, bush and open forests.

The greater kudu lives mostly in small groups of four or five individuals, although older males are sometimes solitary.

Gestation lasts about 210 to 240 days, with a single calf being born except on very rare occasions.

© John Welford

Aardwolf

The aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is a mainly nocturnal carnivore that is native to the arid and rocky regions of southern and eastern Africa.

Its colouring is yellowish grey with dark crosswise stripes. The conspicuous mane of long hair stretches from the nape of the neck to reach over the back, continuing as a bushy tail.

The shape of the aardwolf is similar to that of the hyaena, but its skeleton is more slender and its skull more elongated. Whereas hyaenas have five digits on both fore and hind limbs, the aardwolf has only four digits on its hind feet.

Aardwolves have small teeth that are widely spaced, the molars being completely rudimentary. This relates to the nature of their diet, which is mainly insects (especially termites) and birds’ eggs. 

© John Welford

Cats that don`t mind water

We all know that cats hate getting wet – or at least, that is true of most of them.

That is because a cat’s fur can easily become waterlogged, although the top layer is water-resistant to an extent. A cat that falls into water can drown very quickly if a heavy, waterlogged undercoat drags it under. 

A cat’s fur does not dry easily, and a cold skin caused by waterlogging can lead to hypothermia. 

However, that is not the case with the Van cat of Turkey, found in the region of Lake Van in the east of the country. This cat does not have an undercoat, but its fur is smooth and water-resistant. Van cats delight in taking a dip in water to cool down on a hot day. The same is true of several “big cats” such as lions, tigers and jaguars. 

There is also the “fishing cat” of Southeast Asia (see photo). This cat hunts in water, diving to catch fish and sometimes even attacking ducks from beneath the surface. 

Domestic cats can sometimes becoming acclimatized to water in moderation. This includes show cats that have to tolerate being washed in order to look their best. And there are even cats that enjoy playing with water – although I, speaking for myself, have yet to come across one!

© John Welford