Of course you never see moles because they live underground but their presence is evident by the molehills. Sadly in the past, and even now, moles have been unpopular with farmers and gardeners and have been killed in huge numbers. In fact they are hugely beneficial. They dig tunnels underfround and eat grubs that would otherwise eat crops. Their tunnels make the soil healthier by aerating it and thus allowing more plants to grow which in turn encourage insects which pollinate crops. What's more the tunnels improve soil drainage which helps to stop flooding and huge puddles forming on the ground.
A lot of peple think that mole hills spoil their perfect lawns but who wants a perfect lawn anyway, wildlife is far more important. Actually the soil from a mole hill is perfect for planting seeds and seedlings. I'm a great fan of moles as you can tell. Sadly I've only ever seen one once in my life, that's because they're always underground.
The photo shows part of the Hergest Croft Estate and thankfully the owners, gardeners and farm manager all care deeply about conservation and wildlife and would never do anything to harm the moles.
That's my wildlife lecture for today.
Oh dear….as a retired farmer this field fills me with horror! Moles are the bane of a farmers life….nobody wants soil in the hay & silage crop! There are rules on disposing of the moles but I won’t go into that any more!! I shall be very unpopular to say this but so many moles there, I have never seen anything like it.
Thanks for the insight into the facts Sue - -- such a harmless blind little fellow with a gorgeous velvet coat ! but on the other hand I wouldn't like all these mole hill in my lawn ! ( and I feel rather ashamed to admit it ! )
What a narrative to go with this shot! Thank you for this information, Sue! I have not given moles much thought, to be honest, but I'm grateful to know all of this now. (Nice colours in this shot, btw. I like the green in the foreground and the subtle hints of green and rust-red in the background. Fav)
That's a lot of moles! Like @happypat being farmers you never want a field full of moles. But I always remember me and my twin once caught a mole,I remember us both digging with our hands furiously,and took him home in a bucket to show our mum. She was astounded ,that we had caught it.probably only time seen a live one. We let him back out in the hole in the field we must have been traumatised !
Great text for this lovely capture. But I don't blame those who dislike mole hills in their lawn if it looks like this. That doesn't mean that I agree with harming any living being.
