creeping jenny

the only Jenny I know is no creep. Why creeping jenny I know not but it was also known as motherwort, roving sailor, and meadow runagates, presumably because it creeps all over the place. It is very similar to yellow pimpernel (none in flower round here yet) but characteristically as here the flowers are only half open. The woods are full of it now.

muddy waters

the sort of bog that lousewort likes; it's the small pink thing at the bottom, you can also see the bottom of a larger black louse

lousewort

How did this pretty little flower get its unfortunate name? Apparently,it was believed to infest sheep with lice. It may just be that the liver fluke and lousewort live in the same damp, boggy places. This is just your common or garden lousewort, the juicy red flashy marsh lousewort comes out soon around Kit Hill. It has a rattle very like yellow rattle hence red rattle. To me it looks like purple toothwort but smaller. See this page http://tamar-valley-life.blogspot.com/2006/04/toothwort.html

very important announcement

Do you remember what you were doing on that day? I would like to remind everyone that it is my birthday on 6/6. I may be more mature now and I know it is not my birthday every day, but I do expect presents and cards on my birthday and I thought you might like a reminder now. Nor was I the only Spot in gestation at the time.

(admin note:- as were Harriet, Frodo, Lily, Mattie, Meg, Vasco, Des, and Toby)

bastard balm

a little local rarity that is just coming into flower. It is extremely attractive to bees, those few that is that can swim while flying.

wishful thinking

maybe the sun will come out

campion

and campion for comparison

herb robert

every year when herb robert appears it starts raining. I put it down to all this talk of drought by Londoners. The weather looks set for rain for about six weeks. The alternative explanation is that we talked about getting the barbecue out.
Herb Robert is a type of geranium with hairy fiery red stems and leaves that turn red in autumn. Robert from ruber (?rubra) for red, also know as stinking bob for its strong smell.

on clouds

This was the hand of God, coming to touch the land, not today, but appearing soon in a screen saver of all the best pictures, only available on CD for a very reasonable price at the Church Fete, Stoke Climsland on June3, come along and see the sights.

see http://www.stokeclimslandvillage.org.uk/ for more info (web master ...the Rationalist).

all beef

now this lot are serious muck spreaders.

water for thought

water, cool, dark, filthy; best in old flower pots, puddles that have been stomped about in, or in byres and old algae ridden troughs. Cow puddles are a particular delicacy. Uncle Max can only take water in stiff mud (while saying "here's mud in your eye"). It is also important to take every opportunity to immerse oneself in dirty water. On emerging, vigorous shaking will help humans to appreciate the existential wetness of it and they will often show their appreciation by throwing something else into the water to get you wet again. Humans are very strange about water. They like to sit in it. They keep a supply all to themselves in small rooms dotted about the house, in tall porcelain bowls. They will not let us drink this water but often disappear for long periods into these drinking rooms; as always it seems to me they keep the best for themselves.

peace and quiet

Sadly, the boss's camera has got to go in for a clean, there is more dirt on the CCD than photons. This may give me a chance for some more philosophical musing on a dog's life; two bees or not (this is a profound mathematical question for those who use base one maths). Anyway, no new pictures for a couple of days; maybe some archive footage will be available.


lots of love Spot, and Harri who came third.

chicken legs

and our first sighting of bird's foot trefoil, named for its seed pods
It does not look edible to me.

cold comfrey

common comfrey and free loader; this not the Russian variety seen around the village but the old herbalist's favourite. It is growing in our favourite lane. Apparently, so I am told, the name comes from the Latin conferre, to draw together, because it was used to mend broken bones; and a slimy substance of the root made in a posset of ale was good for bad backs. The boss is out in the kitchen sliming away and drinking beer ... fat chance.

ribwort plantain

more complexity. Even ribwort plantain has an interesting private life close up.

native bluebells

this is a very pretty slender thing, with its flowers all down one side, none of the fat exuberance of Aragon. It grows very happily in these meadows.

spirits

up in the meadows, Greenscoombe woods, looking for fritillaries (far too early I think) capturing the spirit of running (I'm the black blur)

yellow archangel

and some yellow archangel; it likes woodlands and hedgerows and is a close relative of white and red deadnettle, supposed to be in flower on September 29, Archangel Michael's day (that reminds me it's my birthday soon, I'm expecting gifts you know) and guards against hob boglins (admin note: biscuit thieves) and were-people who eat puppies.

on the parish boundary

this little patch by the bridge between Luckett and Latchley is full of flowers all spring; the wood anenomes have died back and now it is full of ramsons and bluebells

alexanders

this patch of alexanders above Higherland is growing about half a mile from the only other patch I have seen down at Old Mill; I think it must be spreading. The church looks very pretty in the background.

marsh violets

there is only one little patch of marsh violets in the whole parish (at least that I know about). They were crushed by the machinery thinning out Sheba woods and only three are left this year, it seems a pity to destroy one thing to save another.

grasses

I love the complexity of even simple things.

lessons

my very first swim and fetch, after 38 lessons. Mum was so surprised she gave up altogether and didn't even get wet.

Rooking about

Arnold is casing the joint. A few minutes later the whole tribe came down to snack on a few bread crumbs and seeds.

A388

and just up the road is this patch of early purple orchid, and yes, a white early purple orchid.

on the road to Launceston

this is the site of the pink purple orchid, on the A388, surrounded by cow parsley, stitchwort, and bluebells. Getting these photographs was very dangerous; mania is setting in. Great yellow fields of wretched oilseed rape spread out in the background . Am I the only dog allergic to the smell of rape?

risking one's life

and this is the road to Launceston, rape seed fields in background, cow parsley, stitchwort, bluebells and early purple orchid together. The hedgerows are stunning now, the weather is warm and moist, and evrything is flourishing. Just a little bit up the road there is a whole mass of these orchids

the purple purple early orchid, near Whiteford

this is the normal characteristic purple colour