Kit Hill early bird

I think this is a pipit, but I am not sure which type (tree or meadow), or it could be a lark. As it chose to pose on a tree above the misty Sherwell Valley and it is singing its heart out I think it must be a tree pipit.

cornwall lanes No 329

the foxgloves seem very early this year, and provide a natural counter balance to Kit Hill

cassie cornwall

Spot feels that there haven't been enough dog photos recently, so here is one of Cassie after a hard day at work watching rabbits, eating and barking, plus two walks and a bit of retrieving on the side. He would also like to remind all his ardent fans that it is his second birthday tomorrow and he is expecting BIG presents which is the real reason why Cassie is looking exhausted.

brooklime

and this very pretty speedwell (brooklime) is in flower again.

more trouble

and these young jackdaws are just looking about to cause some mischief

more food please

and this young rook is, no doubt, asking why its mouth isn't stuffed full of newts and tadpoles

more pond life

a newt and some tadpoles close to maturing into frogs in the deep muddy muddles on the tracks near Old Mill. I don't know what type of newt it is, there are some dark skinned ones and these very pale examples.

heath fritillary

yes, they're back. The reintroduction has obviously worked, and there were several flying about as the sun came out. Now is the time to go to Greenscoombe woods (see the link to Cornwall wildlife trust) if you want to see heath fritillaries.

dippers

I spotted this attractive little bird zooming past today. It is a dipper, and conveniently stopped to pose before wading into the Tamar

alien landscapes

on a wet and showery day silage bales and acres of plastic sheeting for maize lend strange colour to the landscape

yellow pimpernel

another attractive woodland flower, the yellow pimpernel, which unlike its scarlet cousin is always in flower.

troglodytes invade

wrens don't usually come this close, but this one was very keen to watch the compost being turned over.

cowwheat

as is the cowwheat. It is rumoured that there are lots of caterpillars on the cowwheat, so perhaps we will be lucky and see the return of the heath fritillary butterfly this year.

heath speedwell

this pretty little speedwell is very abundant in the woods this year.

complete cowtempt

meanwhile, watching on

water logged

can your dog do this? Poor Cassie, this was the fifth take.

rat attack

an unwelcome visitor, very bold, very fast and very hungry. Rats 1 Lurchers 0 (reminiscent of yesterday's FA Cup Final).

flowing

a water picture shown solely because I like water pictures, especially from the Tamar

more spotted orchids

the first (from the left) is pink spotty and spiky










the second is paler, and less spotty














the third is very pale, much blunter spike and only a few spots. None of them have the characteristic wavy lower lip of heath spotted orchid, but all have only a very small middle lobe. I like to imagine (but doubt it) that these flowers are a new variety evolving before my very eyes in this very odd but special field.

heath orchids

three very different looking orchids, within 2 feet of each other; in fact they are probably all variants or crosses of heath spotted orchids, common spotted orchids and southern marsh orchids. See the next page for a closer look at each orchid.

orchids

this is (probably) a southern marsh orchid, growing next to some germander speedwell, in the meadows. There is only this single small patch in the whole area, under a hawthorn bush in the middle of a meadow.

dragon flies

it has been very grey and dreary for almost two weeks, but with the sun came this beautiful female libellula or darter dragon fly. Last year I blogged a similar male

mock green

this young and slightly bedraggled greenfinch is sitting in the mock orange waiting for a turn on the peanuts. I like mock orange and the scent is lovely but for some reason whenever it comes into flower it starts raining and then rains for weeks on end.

enjoying the wet

the Venterdon three enjoying an afternoon out on the pond.

bowling down the years

Stoke Sports club held a May day fete on the village green. Unfortunately, the weather turned wet late yesterday which was very bad luck and probably put some people off but the sun was out later in the afternoon.

pink bugle

this is pink bugle, a rare colour variant of bugle which is usually blue(see below). Every year, same place, same plant (only one).

a chat of some sort

this bird, sat on the top of a gorse bush, singing its heart out would do for either a stone or whinchat, but I guess it must be a whinchat. If you wonder why it is hard to get better pictures, spot the same bird in the picture below. It is a demonstration of how good the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens is.

Lynher river again

the banks of the Lynher are covered in ramsons, the wild garlic.

mayflower meadows

meadow in the Lynher valley, full of buttercups and mayflowers (cardamine pratensis).

not suitable for arachnophobes

this could be an example of the false black widow spider (steatoda grossa, and very gross indeed) that has been in the news recently but probably isn't. The ghoulish sight to the bottom left is either last year's skin, or a recent meal. The dogs left it well alone.

take me to your leader

a cockchafer (or May bug) paid a flying visit last night. They are very slow and noisy fliers and the dogs can easily catch them in mid air, this seems rather a waste of the long haul they have from larvae to adult. The antennae on the males (as here) have a very elaborate and odd looking .design

in the bluebell glade

bluebell glade, Kelly Bray woods, painting by PaintshopPro from an original photo. The bluebells are abundant this year.

flowers in paradise

in the sunny clearings in the wood the beautiful and subtle tones of bitter vetch stand out like beacons, the cowwheat is already out. Let's hope the heath fritillary returns

paradise

I truly believe that when the sun is up and the bluebells are out this is a little bit of paradise.

mother's little helper

shattering the space time fabric of calm reflection, am I drowning or what? Helping mum comes naturally.

trout rising

leaving only a trace of a ripple spreading through the reflections on the river; an instant in the fabric of space and time.

lutea

the beautiful and heavily scented rhododendron lutea or yellow azalea which grows in many of the woods locally.

lurking in the compost

this sleepy slow worm was found sunning itself on the compost heap

mistle fledglings

finally, with a great deal of whirring and clicking and general pandemonium, the mistle fledglings have just appeared. They tend to try and pretend they do not exist by keeping very still until you approach just a bit too close.