The National Nature Reserve is looking so green at the moment, the grass is lush and the flowers magnificent.
The meadows are a picture at the moment a mass of pale blue from the Pale Flax with the much brighter yellow of Bulbous Buttercups as the backdrop. Intermingled are large splodges of the pink vetch Sainfoin, the triangular cone rising above the grasses.
Emerging from amongst the Yellow Rattle was a Skylark, which proceeded to gain height before starting to sing, this gorgeous song following me as I strolled around the meadow edge.
Dangling on the orange and yellow of Bird’s Foot Trefoil making me look closer, were numerous blobs of Cuckoo Spit, each containing a developing Froghopper nymph.
A Stonechat was perched on the Elder bush, which now also contains a number of large white flower heads. The Stonechat stood long enough to allow me to enjoy wonderful views of this orange chested bird. This particular male did not have any white wing marking which some of them do – the markings on this species of birds varies quite considerably.
The very spiky stems of Burnet Rose are now capped with their delicate white rose flower, the leaves a dark green.
Scratching loudly from the May blossom covered Hawthorn, was a Common Whitethroat, while alongside was a Lesser Whitethroat, this allowed a quick comparison of both song and plumage – the Lesser looking paler grey and the Common a more chestnut brown.
Along the hedgerow a patch of the large Honeysuckle flowers, the shape of these cream and pink flowers most unusual.
A small patch of Dwarf Spurge growing from an old quarry heap, the low nutrient area helping this plant grow.