Grooming

This is my fifth Highland blip in the last 12 posted, three others were of Gus. I was wondering earlier should I be apologising for the restricted range of subject matter, but concluded that I shouldn't. I love these Highland cows and their tiny calves, I look forward to seeing them every morning. I've seen such tenderness between them, there have been so many magical moments, I can't possibly do them justice in these daily blips. What's more, I am keen to see these young fellows growing day by day. Today's little fellow is wet all over, in part perhaps from the light overnight rain, but also from the all over grooming that his mother was giving him.

The calves have been born onto the pasture at the coldest time of the year, there has been a frost on the grass every day of their short lives. Their mothers are eating thatchy old grass, that contains everything but the grasses that are sought after in the heavily fertilised pastures on which intensively reared dairy and beef cattle are now generally raised. Yet these Highland cows produce enough milk to feed their growing calves with no dietary supplements provided.

I observed last year, in a wet and dismal Summer, how many butterflies there were in this big pasture, where the grazing of cattle is breaking up the dominance of the blue moor grass and allowing the limestone grassland herbs to become abundant again. It's a great success story.