Wheat Field Part 3

All these photographs were taken in a single Dorset wheat field late one summer evening. They show just how variable the ripening stages of wheat can be. It can depend on the particular location, fertility, soil depth, gradient, and drainage in different parts of a the field.

Different shades of colour from golden yellow to dull beige and grey-green are created not only from varying stages of crop development but also from the enhancing effect of direct sunlight compared with the shading from cloudy skies. In some stands, the wheat stalks and leaves are still blue green and the grains in the wheat ears remain unripened. In other places, the heads of wheat seeds are pale and almost ready for harvesting, and the last rays of sun at the end of the day light them all up with a golden glow.