[Theme] : Natural Disorder/Chaos

[Hans_S]

Oh, I love this chaos.  Well framed!

Thank you Akira

[Hans_S]

Nice one, Hans!  I find it difficult to find good chaos that isn't plant life, but you have done it!

Thank you Keith. I have trouble finding chaos in any plant life, it's all composed of well aligned fibres and takes a form to meet the plant's need for light, water and nutrient Rocks at the base of a cliff however can be plenty chaotic

[Bruno Schroder]

110M years old fossilised flooding chaos. Lots of big fossil plates on the next beach, Opal Coast, France.

D500 35/1.8 DX

[KarlMera]

In motion.

[ColinM]

I wasn't sure where to post these.
I'm mainly interested if anyone knows how a field can develop these strange forms
They are around 20-50cm high, the field is steeply sloping and they've been there for years
Seen at the North end of the Malvern Hills, UK

[Akira]

I wasn't sure where to post these.
I'm mainly interested if anyone knows how a field can develop these strange forms
They are around 20-50cm high, the field is steeply sloping and they've been there for years
Seen at the North end of the Malvern Hills, UK

These are indeed peculiar scenery, Colin, especially the first one.  I guess they are lairs of the moles?  If so, the population seems to be as dense as in Tokyo!

[Birna Rørslett]

Some grasses, for example, Deschampsia caespitosa, tend to form such patterns on pastures. The grass species have very sharply toothed foliage and grazing animals try to avoid the colonies.

A typical example of the tussocky appearance of such fields is seen here. A quick search in my archives showed many more illustrations of the phenomenon.

[Akira]

Some grasses, for example, Deschampsia caespitosa, tend to form such patterns on pastures. The grass species have very sharply toothed foliage and grazing animals try to avoid the colonies.

A typical example of the tussocky appearance of such fields is seen here. A quick search in my archives showed many more illustrations of the phenomenon.

Wow, its population seems to be much denser!   

[Birna Rørslett]

I selected a "pedagogic" example

[ColinM]

Some grasses, for example, Deschampsia caespitosa, tend to form such patterns on pastures.

Thank you for this and your reply on the March photo i posted
My guess is that you're correct.
And yet the profile of my hillocks is smoother and wider. When i was stood next to the field, they really didn't look like the clumps you've posted.

These are indeed peculiar scenery, Colin, especially the first one.  I guess they are lairs of the moles?  If so, the population seems to be as dense as in Tokyo!

This answer i like Akira!!
Actually,  what I'd really like is that the hillocks move around at night ...

So I'll go and sneak into the field and let you know 

[Birna Rørslett]

There are other species capable of forming tussocks .... just sample some of the vegetation of such a clump and make a few close-ups. Then we ought to get the definite answer.

Moles tend to make earth mounds. At least that's how it looks over here.

Another example of tussock growth follows.

[KarlMera]

Natural order

[ColinM]

Hi Birna and others who commented
I have followed the suggestions below

There are other species capable of forming tussocks ....
just sample some of the vegetation of such a clump and make a few close-ups. Then we ought to get the definite answer.

Moles tend to make earth mounds. At least that's how it looks over here.

You may be surprised....
So they are not (just) vegetation
They are solid. Solid enough to stand on
(in the distance, you can see sheep & lambs, to give an idea of scale)
In practice, each lump is around 30-40cm high and many are easily 50cm wide

[ColinM]

Lumps and proof that they are solid earth under the grass
Solid enough to stand on - no sinking either, despite my 91kg!

[ColinM]

I'm sorry that, photographically, these aren't as interesting as the group's normal photos

So....I spoke to the owner of the house at the top of this field.
He said "Ah, yes we get asked about these a lot"
"They're caused by ants"
"By the summer, we regularly get lots of rooks or crows landing on them to raid the ant hills"

It was not yet consistently warm enough here for me to see any ant activity.
But if Birna is still concerned, I will go back in a couple of months and this time sit on one of these to drink my coffee.....