The sound of Skylarks singing above the meadows welcomed me to my patrol, the dark grey clouds towards the coast contrasting with the fog over the meadows, providing some quite stunning lighting effects.
Waving in the breeze the Tall Fescue, alongside the delicate Quaking Grass whose oval heads wafted on thin stems.
A wonderful carpet of wildflowers with Hay Rattle the background yellow, this flower is semi-parasitic on the grasses so reduces their vigour allowing more apace for other wildflowers. Patches of Bird’s-foot Trefoil – also known as the ‘Eggs and Bacon’ plant because of its yellow and brown colour – scattered across the field.
The pale pink heads of Common Spotted Orchids now emerging in many of our fields, as have a couple of early Southern Marsh Orchids and Pyramidal Orchids.
Wafting alongside, the delicate pale blue of Pale Flax and the more robust Bulbous Buttercups and Meadow Buttercups, plus Ox-Eye Daisies – a glorious display
Bounding over one of the dry-stone walls a male Roe Deer, disturbing 2 female Pheasants and a male who took off with a noisy flapping of wings.
A Common Blue butterfly took flight from the flat white head of a Corky-fruited Water-dropwort (what a great name), while a Six-spot Burnet Moth clung to the stem of Hoary Plantain.
The moth trap last night attracted some spectacular species including 4 species of Hawkmoth – Eyed, Poplar, Privet and Striped, plus Cream-spot Tiger and a Pale Tussock – amongst others – pop into the Castle to see them in ‘Moth of the Day’.
The damper weather bringing out a few molluscs, with the Wall Snail, its thin, edged shell spotted on the walls.
A singing Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Blackcap, plus Chaffinch and Stonechat all heard this morning.