The sweat scent of cut grass fills the air as I wonder through the meadows this morning. Oldman’s Beard smothers the top of Blackthorn, the fluffy silvery seed heads shining in the bright morning sun light. Through the mass of fluffy seed heads dark purple slow berries protrude on the branches of a Blackthorn that manage to escape the Oldman’s Beard. Bramble bushes sag under the weight of blackberries swelling on its branches, soon they will be ripe.
In the Large Copse the path in covered in pinecones from the surrounding Black Pines litter the woodchip path, all furrily nibbled by Squirrels. Stinking Iris adds a pop of colour to the woodland with its bright red / orange berries adorning the tops its stems.
In the next meadow the bright yellow sunflower like flowers of Fleabane don’t fail to put a smile on your face as you pass them. In the secontion of field that was spared from being cut, Red Clover, Red Bartsia and Ragwort can all still be seen in flower. The bright colours of all three plants brightening up already sunny and bright morning.
Swallows dance they way over the top of the scrub, darting in all directions in pursuit of breakfast. Soaring up high before driving back down before pulling back up just in time to not crash into the scrub.
Bright shiny red Dog Rose hips glint in the morning sun as I pass them into the next meadow. Tractor is in the field turning the cut grass, to dry it out more in preparation for in to the bailed in the next few days. The tractor disturbs quite a few Meadow Brown and Gate Keeper Butterflies as well as an Adonis Blue. The bright blue of this butterflies’ wing is captivating as it comes to land on the path just ahead of me.
A Kestrel hovers over the gully, while behind me a Raven pecks around in the cut grass messing up the tractor driver’s hard work.