Feeling Inspired about Arable?Why not tell us what you have discovered? We would love to see what you

have found. Share your photos on social media tagging @naturebftb and

@love_plants, email colourinthemargins@plantlife.org.uk or log it on iRecord.

Do you want to know more?

You can find lots of resources about arable wildlife, for all ages and abilities, at plantlife.org.uk. Try developing the skills you have learnt by downloading the Rare Arable Flowers App.

Colour in the MarginsWe are a Back from the Brink partnership project working

to conserve the wildlife unique to arable farmland. We want to raise the profile of England’s threatened arable habitat by inspiring people to discover and celebrate it with us!

Find out more by visiting naturebftb.co.uk

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A companion guide to help you

identify what you find as you wander

along footpaths through arable fields

Mosey in the Margins

What type of field am I in?Farmers work all year round to produce our food.

By taking a closer look at the land around us we

can see what is growing locally and

understand more about the journey

it takes to get there.

What if my field is bare?A recently cultivated field will look very bare – if you look closely you might be able to see young

plants coming up from the soil in neat rows. Come back

in a few months to see how the plants have grown.

Sometimes patches or strips are not planted with

crops, instead they are left for wild plants to grow.

Can you see any areas left for wild flowers?

Wheat RyeOilseed rape

Maize BarleyOatsPeas

Changing LandscapesFarmers grow different crops at different times of the year,

working with the seasons and the changing weather.

Like all flowering plants, crops begin life as a seed. The farmer must prepare

the soil before sowing the seeds.

This is usually done in spring or

autumn and is called cultivation.

An arable farm can be a hive

of activity in busy months with

tractors and machinery put to use

while the weather is good. It can also

be very peaceful with only the sound of

swaying corn and singing birds to fill the air. Sit for a minute and listen. What sounds can you hear?

Have a look at the fields that surround you. Can you tell what is growing?

After harvest, the stalks or “stubbles”

are sometimes left over winter so that birds and other wildlife can feed

on seeds that have been missed.

Did you know? Land that is cultivated

for growing crops.

Arable

YellowhammerThe Yellowhammer’s song is thought to sound like it is uttering the phrase “little bit of bread and no cheeeeese”. Their sunshine yellow colour, with streaks of brown, make

them an easy spot in the hedgerow.

LinnetThe Linnet has a long musical song so beautiful it was once prized as a caged bird. Adult males are easy to spot with their bright crimson breast and forehead. They can often be seen feeding with flocks of other birds on farmland.

SkylarkThe Skylark fills the air with an endless trilling song in early

spring. See if you can spot one as

it sings high in the sky and watch

as it descends like a parachute

back to the ground.

A healthy arable field is full of life across all seasons but visit in spring and summer and it will be alive

with the sound of singing birds, buzzing pollinators

and mammals rustling in the hedgerows.

Look out for these farmland birds

Who might be living here?Hare Hideout

Brown Hares dig hollows in the ground called “forms” to

rest out of sight from predators or hide their young. Look

out for a shallow, dug out scrape on bare

earth or a round hollow in thick grass.

Check to see if it’s still warm – it could

be that you just missed one!

A Home for a Mouse

A field of tall strong wheat is the perfect place to make a nest if you are a Harvest

Mouse. They weave their nests from the

stems of the crop to keep their young

safe and warm.

Busy Beetles

Beetles are a farmer’s friend because

they eat many crop pests such as aphids.

Violet Ground Beetles can be found both

in gardens and farmland and are important

predators of many pests. They are large and can be

identified from the metallic purple colour of the body.

Bounty for Bats

Crop field edges lined with colourful flowers and healthy hedgerows attract many insects

which are food for hunting bats.

The sounds of an arable field

Finding Colour in the MarginsAs you walk along the field edge or footpath have a look at what plants are growing there. Arable plants can be colourful and bold like Common

Poppy or much smaller and more modest like Common Field-speedwell.

No matter what their shape, colour or size, having a mixture makes

an arable field more “diverse” – which means there is more variety. A greater variety of plants means more choice of food, shelter and places

to raise a family for all animals, from the big brown hare to the tiny

ground beetle.

Green: I am common. You are likely to find me in most fields.

Amber: Find me and you might have found a good field for arable plants. Keep looking and there could be a rarity here!

Red: I am rare and trickier to spot, so finding me is very special. Make sure you record me on the Rare Arable Flowers app.

Be a Soil Detective!

Problem plants or ‘weeds’Some common wild plants, such as Creeping Thistle or Dock

can spread very quickly, invading the farmer’s crop and

reducing the amount of sunlight and water available for the

crop plants. This affects the harvest.

Though plants like nettles and thistles are important food

for some birds and insects, seeing these plants in a field indicates there is a problem both for the farmer and the

smaller wild plants.

Nettle Broad-leaved Dock

Creeping Thistle

Look out for these colours next to the plant photos

to see if you are likely to find them on your soil.

Which soil did you find?

CLAY CHALK SAND

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YES NO

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Have a closer look Can you see chalky white

stones in your soil?

Pick up some soil in your hand Can you roll it into a sausage shape?

Clay

Clay is moist and sticky and holds

its shape

Chalk

Very chalky soils will froth and fizz if you add a drop

of vinegar

Sand

Look closely and you can

see the grains of sand

Take some home to try it!

Fie

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©Cath Shellswell©Tim Pankhurst©Cath Shellswell

©Andrew Gagg/Plantlife©Cath Shellswell

©Cath Shellswell©Cath Shellswell

©Cath Shellswell©Cath Shellswell

©Andrew Gagg/Plantlife©Cath Shellswell

©Cath Shellswell

©Cath Shellswell

©Cath Shellswell

©Andrew Gagg/Plantlife