Lodged Barley

After a storm blew through ten days or so ago the barley crop in certain places has lodged. This is a new term for me. It means the barley has fallen to the ground, bent at the base of the plant. At this stage of growth it may or may not recover. If it remains lodged it will be difficult to harvest.

The field in the middle distance has survived unscathed, but in the background, on the right, where it looks like mown hay -- that's a flattened barley crop.

The scene of devastation was so bad where I took these photos I had to look twice to be sure it wasn't hay meadow that had been mown. But all of these photos show barley, bent over to the ground.

All of these photos were taken in the Claise Valley, between Humeau and Boussay.

 The field in the foreground is sunflowers, the field behind is entirely flattened barley.

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