St Francis's forest and birds - and fields

Here are 2 photos which I think sum up exactly what happens to our wild and beautiful places.

St Francis is famous for preaching to the birds - here is the well known painting depicting it in the basilica in Assisi.

Here is the spot where he actually did that.  The forest and birds long gone - fields and mono culture everywhere.  But we are a huge and growing world population, so there is no alternative but to turn the world's suitable land into fields? Thanks to my lovely friend Fabrizio Frascaroli for the photo.

Fabrizio and I are in dispute about the species of tree but I think I won out (!!!) in that we now think it is  quercus pubescens (downy oak), not quercus ilex (holm oak).  But to give Fabrizio his due, the original location was thought to be in a mountain forest where holm oaks are dominant.  OK  Fabrizio - let's call it a draw. xx


We'll be discussing the natural world and population in the Saving Species recording on Monday night (sorry, think tickets have now all gone but do check).  Makes you think.