four orchids and a fun day

pink purslane, campion and Spot; a dog in clover

four orchids and a fun day

heath spotted orchid in a field full of yellow rattle. The sky really was an amazing vivid blue (see top left corner). One of four species of orchid we found this morning, of which more later, plus other excitement!

and the yellow or flag iris

and another denizen of damp, shady places, the flag or yellow iris.

wild columbine

the genuine wild columbine (aquilegia vulgaris), growing in a damp shady wood. Usually if you find an aquliegia it is a garden escapee. The flower is mysteriously complicated and exotic, with five long nectar horns

May is out

the hawthorn is out, so out with the clowts/clouts (see link). Classic lane view as well.

more yellow things

the top picture shows the speckled yellow moth, quite common at this time of year, and below the speckled black ... unable to fly far but looking increasingly moth eaten.

buttercup flyby

in one of the last markers of the full arrival of Spring the martins are back, and nesting under the eaves of our house, and whizzing about in the field next door which is covered in buttercups. It is always a great relief to see them, and feel the blood pumping through the veins of Nature.

ok, just one more bluebell picture

the bluebells in the banks by the road into our village make even the drive into work a pleasure!

our wisteria

at long last, despite the arctic cold, our wisteria is out. Please note that no one takes any note of the admonition on the doormat. Why is this?

more from the woodland folk

this little path through the wood wends its way along the crest of the valley and is surrounded on each side by acres of wild garlic. The hillside faces south east but is very shaded, except at the top where the light is very dappled.

Why we should always take a camera

well we very nearly didn't, we have done enough bluebells and spring stuff for one year, but Spot insisted so we went back to the house to pick it up, and lo we came across a kingfisher nest, and were treated in a few minutes to a display of fishing and flying. We didn't stay long because we did not want to disturb the kingfisher, but what a wonderful treat.

ocean of blue

It is really difficult to convey to you either in words or pictures the sheer beauty of the woodland floor at the moment. This year everything has come together to flower at the same time. The woods by the mouth of the Inny are an ocean of blue. It is the most wonderful, peaceful, English sight. (ps I haven't altered the colour of this picture of Spot in the bluebells in any way).

gill ale rarity

one for plant geeks, this is the rare pale pink variant of ground ivy (see link on earlier page for normal variant of this pretty little plant). I have never seen it before.

mousetails

Spike and the Laurel cottage mob reported these strange little flowers in their garden (actually where he is not allowed). In fact they are mousetails, closely related to lords and ladies, a member of the arum family. As my book says they have "almost ludicrously" long tails, certainly longer than Spike's. They are not native, but maybe the warmer climate is encouraging them to spread. The blue flower to the lower left is bugle (see earlier pages as well)

furrows to plough

These wide smooth furrows have appeared in fields on the road to Launceston, creating pleasing geometric patterns in the soil. We remain very busy blurbing. But not so busy we couldn't appreciate the beautiful symmetrical complexity of a dandelion seed head.

blurb

first a rook, and then this jackdaw, settled on the stump of an old apple tree, and tore off small strips of wood. What for?

We have also been busy, hence lack of regular blogging. Spot has discovered a very wonderful site for any one who takes photos and wants to bring them together in book form. Blurb. Cannot get Blurb badge to work on this blog page but this is the link to our books, and to the Blurb site. The amount of work going on all over the planet is unbelievable. We are going to use the book of photos of Stoke Climsland as our contribution to the church fete raffle (written under Spot's nom de plume). Buy lots of tickets!

and where there are no bluebells there are great stretches of wild garlic. The two species share the same damp woodland habitat but seem to avoid each other for the most part.

things we are very glad to see again

tipless Harriet, her beauty forever spoilt, hiding her sorrows in a bluebell glade near Carthamartha. And no, the colours aren't quite right but we will keep trying. The lower photograph is fairly close to what the eye perceives.

private parts

the innermost secrets of the marsh violet laid bare. The marsh violet is not a common plant locally, but grows beside just one small, but clean stream. Patchy distribution like this always puzzles me, especially where the plant can be found every year but never seems to spread.

post script

Tara kindly pointed out that this image reminded her of Georgia O'Keefe, of whom I am afraid to admit we had never heard or seen (parochial, us folk in Cornwall? never!), this link is to her picture images on Google, they are well worth looking at.

things we are glad to see again 5

the peculiar flower of wood spurge, and the delicate flower of marsh violet

things we are glad to see again 4

pheasant eyes growing high in the meadows in Greenscombe woods (plus tiny mite of some sort).

Harriet's revenge

One kiss and it were done, Prince Charming himself (aka Spot) was toaded.

things we are glad to see again 3

and of course, bluebells. There is something difficult about photographing bluebells, and they never look quite right. Maybe we need an ultraviolet filter or something. Nevertheless, we shall go in search of the perfect bluebell picture.

things we are glad to see again 2

aubretia and forget-me-not together

things we are glad to see again

eleven days earlier than last year. It is always heart warming to see the swallows return from their holidays in South Africa. Our family of house martins have not arrived yet, but I am sure they are on their way. I wonder if martins always nest in the same place or whether their off spring come back to the same place.

on the barbican

which is why we went to Plymouth to visit the Barbican, from whence the Pilgrim fathers set out, to see the sharks (us that is not the PF's) at the National Aquarium, which is another fantastic day out.

a good day out

and a very enjoyable day it was too (link to their web page), especially for Charlie, 23 month old descendant of Spot's secretary, arriving as we did by steam train (Launceston Steam Railway, see link, and blog archive)


to be met by peacocks, who, of course, were soon eating out of his hand.

On a sunny day Cornwall is fun!

in the garden

forget-me-nots at the base of a Judas tree, appropriately enough for Easter, although the Judas tree rarely seems to flower in our climate.

and, of course, cherry blossom

blackthorn blossoming on Rowden lane, a long wide bridle path between Trecombe and Stoke Climsland.

hot air over Bodmin

hot air ballon over Caradon radio mast (above) and Sharp Tor (below), and crash (?) landing in field

on a more positive note

everything in the Orchard estate is pink now, including this beautiful, if slightly tardy camellia.Apparently the name is derived from Kamel, a Moravian Jesuit, who discovered them in the Philippines (although I doubt the inhabitants of those islands ignored them completely).