 |
 |
This is a shot of the neighbouring field - the yellow dots are marsh marigolds and the 'tracks' in the grass are paths taken by moorhens wading through the flood. It appears that it is liable to flooding until quite late into the year (this picture was taken in the middle of a relatively dry April). The field across from the stone is in the same condition, though the field where the stone stands is dry, though it is on much the same elevation as its neighbour. I'm guessing that reclamation is responsible for the dry fields which begs the question - why erect a stone - which presumably acted as a marker or signpost -along a path that was liable to be under water for half the year. The answer is that when it was erected, the land was dry all the time. So what caused the change - climate change (causing more rain), or human intervention (e.g. chopping down all the trees nearby which would have otherwise absorbed the water)? More investigation needed, methinks...