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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/15/waiting-gorse-burst-new-forest

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Waiting for the gorse to burst Waiting for the gorse to burst
(7 months later)
Click. The sound is distinct. A black speck flashes across my vision. I straighten up and think about the two. There can be no doubt what they were, but I am sensorially confused. Which had I actually experienced first? The click, or the speck?Click. The sound is distinct. A black speck flashes across my vision. I straighten up and think about the two. There can be no doubt what they were, but I am sensorially confused. Which had I actually experienced first? The click, or the speck?
At that moment, I had been adjusting the settings on my camera to try to catch the pink of the clump of common centaury that was looking radiant at the edge of an parched path. I give up on that for the time being, and linger by the gorse bushes in the hope that there will be a repeat performance, and I will solve the puzzle. Though I wait, and later walk some distance through an extensive gorse brake following a route marked out by the ponies, the plants refuse an encore.At that moment, I had been adjusting the settings on my camera to try to catch the pink of the clump of common centaury that was looking radiant at the edge of an parched path. I give up on that for the time being, and linger by the gorse bushes in the hope that there will be a repeat performance, and I will solve the puzzle. Though I wait, and later walk some distance through an extensive gorse brake following a route marked out by the ponies, the plants refuse an encore.
The click had been a seed pod twisting, bursting at the seams, and firing its tiny black seeds into the distance. I had seen one of these. There would have been others, sprayed to fall many feet from the plant. Most will be eaten or come to nothing, but enough will survive to spread this thorny and invasive native.The click had been a seed pod twisting, bursting at the seams, and firing its tiny black seeds into the distance. I had seen one of these. There would have been others, sprayed to fall many feet from the plant. Most will be eaten or come to nothing, but enough will survive to spread this thorny and invasive native.
Gorse is probably the most attractive plant across the forest during the later winter months. It’s a vital source of food for the ponies then, and was once an important fuel. In other places, often in Ireland, it’s used as hedging and field-breaks.Gorse is probably the most attractive plant across the forest during the later winter months. It’s a vital source of food for the ponies then, and was once an important fuel. In other places, often in Ireland, it’s used as hedging and field-breaks.
Elsewhere, though, it’s a different story. In New Zealand, a forester told us how, brought in by the first settlers, it was later used to make a nursery bed for young conifers. As planned, the gorse died off as the pines grew tall, depriving it of light. Unfortunately, when the trees were felled, and the seed-infested ground was disturbed, the gorse returned in profusion and quickly became a serious problem.Elsewhere, though, it’s a different story. In New Zealand, a forester told us how, brought in by the first settlers, it was later used to make a nursery bed for young conifers. As planned, the gorse died off as the pines grew tall, depriving it of light. Unfortunately, when the trees were felled, and the seed-infested ground was disturbed, the gorse returned in profusion and quickly became a serious problem.
Passing below the gorse, I come to Bratley Water, now merely water-filled hoof-holes. A solitary crimson meadow thistle, our only spineless variety, with a thin downy-stem, stands among them, a splash of colour when all else is increasingly bleached.Passing below the gorse, I come to Bratley Water, now merely water-filled hoof-holes. A solitary crimson meadow thistle, our only spineless variety, with a thin downy-stem, stands among them, a splash of colour when all else is increasingly bleached.
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