Wednesday, June 11, 2008

ragged robin



a clump of ragged robin growing wild; it is very striking at a distance and yet it is a very isolated patch.

more agrions


the handsome male agrion and his smoky female posing before getting down to more serious business. The river banks are full of dragonflies and demoiselles.

entente cordiale


Spot is very concerned about the shortage of elderflower cordial that his friends and cousins across the sea are facing and has tracked down the address of an exclusive supplier. Although his blog is an advertising free zone he is happy to provide this link to the wonderful world of Duchy products, all organic and spoken to.

Monday, June 09, 2008

corncockle



the corncockle is extinct as a wild flower in Britain. These specimens grew from some seeds we brought back from a wild meadow on the border between Andorra and France two years ago. These pictures show two of its characteristic features, the very long sepals (green things sticking out behind the flower) and it is very hairy .

Saturday, June 07, 2008

elderflower


elderflower bush growing in wall on an old quarry on South face of Kit Hill, Duchy College (to the left) and Stoke Climsland to the right.

cotton grass


cotton grass growing in Kit Hill quarry. Very little wild life today. Is this blog getting boring, Spot asks himself?? It may be just that there hasn't been anything new recently. Mind you up at Bude today we saw all sorts of exciting plants, marsh orchids, crow garlic in flower, wild thyme, but we didn't take the camera.