There is a strange mania in Natland for "tidying" the roadside verges, the latest example being by the south wall of the churchyard. This verge, already partly destroyed by careless car parking, has been so closely strimmed that it is now largely reduced to bare earth. Cutting back so heavily removes beautiful grasses, which contrast so well with the stone walls, as well as the characteristic flowers - buttercups, dog daisies, cow parsley, meadow cranesbill, nettles (so attractive to butterflies), and so on. One only needs to go further up Helm Lane to see what beautiful roadside verges can look like. Worst of all is the pernicious (and illegal) practice of spraying verges with weedkiller. The verges, householders need to be reminded, are part of the public highway.
John Inglesfield