B itai ‘s
fields,
pa ks
a d
law s
we e
th ivi g
a eas
of
f esh
g ee e y,
just
befo e
summe
a ived.
The ,
eve ythi g
was
bu t
to
a
c isp,
with
a
yellow
a d
golde
hue
a d
ow
la dscapes
as
old
as
thousa ds
of
yea s
have
bee
evealed
as
g ee
outli es
agai st
yellow
backg ou ds.July
was
the
d iest
mo th
eve
eco ded
i
E gla d
a d
Wales
a d
d oughts
have
affected
pa t
of
B itai
i
fou
of
the
last
five
yea s.
As
heatwaves
become
mo e
f eque t
with
global
wa mi g,
the
most
affected
a eas
a e
comi g
to
be
law s
a d
pa ks
si ce
a y
available
wate
has
bee
di ected
to
homes
a d
fa ms.
With
this,
E gla d
faces
a
ecu i g
questio :
“What
happe s
to
its
g ee
a d
pleasa t
la d
if
summe s
like
these
co ti ue?”
Su vival
of
the
fittest
As
a
g oup,
g asses
a e
good
at
su vivi g
d y
co ditio s
a d
thei
esilie ce
has
helped
make
them
o e
of
the
successful
g oups
of
pla ts
o
Ea th.
They
ow
i clude
mo e
tha
11,000
species
a d
cove
mo e
tha
40%
of
the
Ea th’s
la d
a ea,
f om
t opical
sava as
to
A ctic
steppe.
They
a e
also
much
olde
tha
scie tists
o ce
thought.
The
ea liest
fossil
g asses
date
to
a ou d
55
millio
yea s
ago,
but
disti ctive
mi e al
deposits
i
thei
leaves
have
si ce
bee
fou d
i
fossilised
di osau
faeces
f om
the
late
C etaceous
pe iod,
so
it
is
ow
k ow
that
g asses
we e
a ou d
te s
of
millio s
of
yea s
ea lie .
G assla ds
sp ead
ac oss
the
wo ld
late ,
about
20-30
millio
yea s
ago,
whe
they
took
adva tage
of
a
climate
that
was
becomi g
coole
a d
mo e
a id.
I
those
co ditio s,
g asses
could
su vive
bette
tha
ma y
othe
types
of
vegetatio .
B itish
g ass
is
impo ta t
The
mai
g asses
used
i
B itish
law s
a e
ot
ecessa ily
as
well
adapted
to
d y
co ditio s
as
some
of
thei
elatives
elsewhe e.
But
eve
species
al eady
ative
to
o the
Eu ope
a d
well
adapted
to
cool,
damp
co ditio s
have
ways
of
su vivi g
d ought.
They
ca
slow
wate
loss
f om
thei
leaves
a d,
whe e
possible,
se d
oots
deepe
i to
the
soil
i
sea ch
of
moistu e.Howeve ,
u de
eally
d y
co ditio s,
such
as
those
ight
ow,
they
have
o
choice
but
to
shut
dow
a d
wait
fo
bette
co ditio s.
They
move
what
wate
emai s
to
the
pa ts
of
the
pla t
that
will
p oduce
ew
leaves,
which
a e
p otected
deep
i side
the
oute
leaves.
These
oute
leaves
d y
out
a d
die,
givi g
some
of
thei
wate
to
the
c itical
g owi g
pa ts,
which
su vive
a d
a e
eady
to
p oduce
ew
leaves
whe
it
ai s
agai .
The
g owi g
ce t es
also
accumulate
suga s
that
help
d aw
i
wate
a d
p otect
thei
cells
f om
d yi g
out.But
afte
p evious
d oughts,
dead
expa ses
of
stalks
have
slowly
ecove ed
whe
ai
comes
back
a d
these
law s
will
etu
with
time,
too.
What
emai s
as
a
questio
is
whethe
this
will
be
epeated
i
the
futu e
whe
such
ha sh
summe s
epeat.
This
poses
the
B itish
public
with
the
situatio
of
accepti g
yellow
g ass
o
switchi g
to
va ieties
that
a e
bette
fo
wa me
co ditio s.Howeve ,
climate
cha ge
is
ot
just
maki g
the
weathe
wa me ,
but
also
maki g
it
mo e
difficult
to
p edict,
a
phe ome o
that
has
bee
called
“global
wei di g.”
But
ultimately,
the e’s
o
magic
g ass
va iety
that
will
keep
B itai
g ee
a d
pleasa t
whateve
the
weathe
a d
people
will
have
to
adapt
to
the
wa me ,
less
p edictable
climate
alo g
with
its
co seque ces.
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