During the past half a century,
urban sprawl, new towns, motorway building and out-of-town shopping centres
have gobbled up millions of acres of land. Industrialisation of farming, with
huge fields cultivated by giant machines, has also had a dramatic effect on the
countryside. As a result, hedgerows are now a rarity, and many plants, animals,
birds and insects have seen their natural habitat drastically reduced. Many
species are under pressure, some almost to the point of
extinction.
This sorry state of
affairs was not envisaged back in 1950 when Wills prepared their delightful
series of 50 Life in the Hedgerow, intended, as we see on the card backs, for
distribution in packets of Capstan, Gold Flake, Woodbine and Star - but
unfortunately never actually issued. The excellent colour pictures show the
rich diversity of wildlife which relies upon hedgerows for its survival - fox,
badger, stoat, dormouse, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, lizards, snakes,
birds, wild roses, primroses, wild strawberries, blackberry, hazel, crab apple
and a whole host of others - all brilliantly described on the backs.
This set of Wills 50 Life In The
Hedgerow in mint condition is catalogued at
£25.00.
|
