Country diary: Hidden in the stubble, a survivor from harvest | Elizabeth-Jane Burnett

Creedy Valley, Devon: A walk in the newly shorn fields reveals tiny patches of an incredibly resilient plant - wild radishIn one of the last fields of wheat to be cut, a large white butterfly skims the top of the parched crop. The two black dots on each flapping forewing bring a polka-dot touch to the monochrome field. Through the heat, its flutter brings a welcome motion. Otherwise, it is still, quiet, only the sound of fallen stems crunching underfoot. Where the butterfly lands, a cluster of oxeye daisies gleams, sheltered from the glare by the wheat.In the next field, the hill rises, newly shorn. The sky blares blue above low gold stalks, no trace of cloud, no breath of wind. In the stripped fields, there are tiny patches of white, where wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) has survived. It has many other common names, including wild charlock, runch, wild turnip and wild kale, as well as several variations of radish: jointed, jointed wild, fodder, and the more generic moniker, white weed. Continue reading...