A landscape feature consisting of dense hedgerows, trees, and shrubs dividing fields, common in rural Europe, especially France.
From French 'bocage' (from Latin 'bucus,' a small wood), referring to the characteristic patchwork of small fields divided by living hedges and trees that developed over centuries of agricultural practice.
Bocage landscapes evolved as farmers planted hedges to mark property lines, but they accidentally created wildlife corridors—these hedge networks became highways for animals and are now considered crucial for biodiversity! Many European hedgerows are thousands of years old, making them historical monuments and ecosystems in one.
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