Why has Britain's grass turned yellow? A plant scientist explains what happens next
Fields, parks and lawns across Europe have turned to straw this summer. Landscapes thousands of years old have been revealed as green outlines against yellow backgrounds, where ancient underground walls and ditches retain enough water to sustain pockets of grass above them. Lawns and parklands have been especially affected because what water is available is being directed to homes and farms.
This summer, parks and lawns across Europe have turned to yellow, revealing ancient underground features beneath the once vibrant green grass. Particularly affected are lawns and parklands because water resources are prioritized for homes and farms. July was the driest month ever recorded in England and Wales, with droughts impacting Britain in four of the past five years.
Climate change and increasing heat waves raise the question of what England's green and pleasant land will look like in a future where summers like this become the norm. Grasses are resilient and well-adapted to dry conditions, having existed for tens of millions of years. They can slow water loss from their leaves and send roots deeper into the soil for moisture.
However, under extremely dry conditions, they must shut down and wait for better conditions. Despite the yellow appearance, many lawns will recover when rain returns. But they may continue to dry out during future summers. The world's grasses are green in winter and yellow in summer, reflecting seasonal changes. Whether Britain is ready to accept this new norm, or if it needs to adapt by introducing different grass varieties, remains to be seen.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
