A warm sun shines down on Durlston, and a Speckled Wood butterfly dances in its light. 13.2mm of rain fell on the park yesterday, a welcome reprieve from the dry month, and totalling more than the entire month of May so far.
Winds continue to blow, and the grasslands shimmer with movement, swathes of Ribwort Plantain, Cocksfoot and Meadow Grass rolling like waves. Scatterings of yellow; Meadow Buttercup, Hay Rattle, and Bird’s Foot Trefoil flow in unison. Umbels of Wild Carrot and the pale green Parsnip have began to show, and will soon dominate the turf across the downland and between the Yellow Meadow Anthills.
Ox-Eye meadow has bloomed with exactly that: thousands upon thousand of the tall cheery Daisies, interspersed with the nodding heads of dainty pale blue Flax. Look out for the particularly pretty patches of pink Sainfoin, which flowers in conical upright racemes of its pea-shaped flowers. Similar in shape, but with its raspberry-ripple patterned petals, the Common Spotted Orchid has appeared in abundance and speckles the fields in pink.
Out here, just a short walk from the car parks, but comfortably away from the crowds. You can hear the beautiful Skylarks song, the crossover of notes becoming confused between the intensity of multiple singing birds. Out of sight, Blackbirds warble from the hedgerows, slow tuneful verses of somewhat melancholic song.
On the final bit of my walk I head through the copse. Twayblade and Early Purple Orchid now shaded under the leafy Sycamore and Ash. I am greeted by chorus of bird song; Robin, Wren, Blackcap, and Blue Tit. Calls from the Blue Tits gather in gusto, as I realise a pair are using a nestbox put up over winter. One of the more courageous chicks inside pokes its head out through the hole and calls out to it’s parents for food.