bridle paths

Although the bluebells are past their best in the woods, they continue to flourish in shadier areas like this stretch of Rowden lane, an old cattle droving pathway now used as a bridle path. Buttercups and campion mix in with the bluebells to create some magic.

out with the clouts

The hawthorn is out!

and nothing goes to waste around here, exotic fallen Camelia flower tea

bit of a mouthful

It's in the genes, Spot following in his mother's footsteps (see link).

morning prayers

rabbit at prayers this morning, and this afternoon a visitation by a small flock of goldfinches. Goldfinches form flocks in the winter but are meant to be fiercely competitive  in the breeding season, so it is surprising to see so many at the same time now.

green eyes

orange tip butterfly thoughtfully displaying both sides of its wings. Also on the wing today were peacocks, tortoiseshells, green veined whites, brimstones and damsel flies.

Hi Ho Hi Ho Holiday

It's the best day of the year. The bluebell woods are in full bloom. Two Hungarian vizslas from Rezare are ambling over for a chat. The butterflies and damsel flies are out. The sun is shining. What more could one want.

bit of a stretch

Even by our standards this was a bit of a crowd. The squirrel (who looks very brown for a grey) is the new kid on the block, and the two jackdaws were most displeased and tried to drive him away, whilst the rook and the pigeon looked on.

things we find in the attic

It is little surprise that we seem to have a lot of wasps about in the late summer. There were at least three of these beautifully constructed wasp's nests in our attic. No bats thank goodness. And the martins returned today although after a brief reconnaissance of the old nest site they didn't stay.

cuckoo pint

Lords and Ladies (aka cuckoo pint and other scurrilous names ) in flower. Almost all have the tip of the spadix eaten away. Wiki states that many small rodents appear to find the spadix particularly attractive and it is common to find examples of the plant with much of the spadix eaten away. The spadix has a distinctive, unpleasant smell, and manages to generate a lot of heat (up to 15 degrees C above ambient temperature) and it may be this that attracts mice etc.

narcissus spoticus

Spot, some pheasant's eyes and some dog violets

interior landscapes (moss Spot)

It looks like an oriental landscape of woods and rocky escarpments, in fact it is the small landscape of a moss covered wall

keeping up with the longs

the first, rather tattered looking speckled wood of the year. These butterflies over winter as caterpillars or chrysalides, so this must be a newly hatched butterfly. It has certainly seen some rough times already.