bad hair day 1 (usnea barbata)

an ancient hawthorn completely enveloped by lichen. Is it 'liken' or 'litchen' or both? It certainly consumed one expensive Nikon lens cap. Hawthorns seem to be prone to these dramatic efflorescences (well, no flowers but what else can one call it ...hirsuitism), which are species of usnea and are common on isolated trees on Dartmoor and Bodmin moor.

North Hill Cornwall

the village of North Hill on the edge of Bodmin moor, in the Lynher valley. There is very little information available about North Hill but the church looks very like our own. And the local pub, the Race Horse Inn is very welcoming and has its own proper dog (labrador).

pale tussock

the female pale tussock (we think) moth posing for flash photography last night.

tormentil

yet another example of the tormentil cinquefoil complex, loads of very similar yellow flowers sent to torture amateur botanists, plus visitor.

heath spotted orchid

we went looking for bird's nest orchids in the beech woods but we could only find heath spotted orchids in the meadows. One day we will find a bird's nest orchid.

wood speedwell and pimpernel

wood speedwell, a typical speedwell with a small pale flower with distinctive pale green leaves that stand out on the woodland floor, growing with yellow pimpernel. Below is a close up of marsh stitchwort, a minute but pretty member of the stellaria family. This was a good example of how to look but not see in that we found it at the top of the hill where we have found it before, but as we retraced our steps we could see it growing everywhere by the stream running through these woods and on marshy ground.