During 2006/7 a wave of myxi or somesuch went through the Pembrokeshire islands, drastically reducing the rabbit populations. With but a handful of bunnies to eat their way through the vegetation, grasses such as Yorkshire Fog and Red Fescue flourished on Skomer and the Ramsey wardens were spending many evenings photographing low growing wild flowers that hadn't bloomed for many a year. We volunteered on Ramsey in '06 and 07 and were amazed to see that the low grass had turned into a tapestry of colour by the second year.
In 2008 we spent two weeks on Skomer which looked very different to our last visit in 2005 with tall grasses swaying and whispering in the sea breeze.
I'm sure my pot of Yorkshire Fog will flourish with just a few puffins and no bunnies for company. The copper pipe serves as a stand for hanging bird feeders so I could well get a sunflower growing on 'Skomer' too.
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