The wind blowing strongly across the Country Park this morning, causing the grasses and wildflowers in the meadows to waft and rustle !
Looking past the brightly coloured flowers of Greater Knapweed, Field Scabious and Wild Carrot, which immediately take your attention, the fields are full of different grass species.
The Crested Dog’s Tail is alongside Meadow Barley, Yellow Oat Grass and Tall Fescue. Slightly shorter is Timothy with its elongated toilet brush shaped head! Cocksfoot, Quaking Grass, Sweet Vernal Grass and Yorkshire Fog also fairly easily recognised along with other which are more difficult!
A patch of a pinkish purple Marjoram growing fairly tall, with the low growing Wild Thyme nearby. A few late flowering Pale Flax flowers providing dots of pale blue, although mostly it is the round seedheads that are visible.
Along the hedgerow Gatekeeper are flitting about in large numbers – their other name is Hedge Brown – which describes them quite well!
Still some of the small purple flowers of Bittersweet, clambering through the branches, while some have turned to round green and red berries.
A few Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites being blown across the fields while many of the Lulworth and Small Skippers were hunkered down avoid the wind.
Overhead a Swift battled against the wind and a Swallow was whizzed along by it!
As I walked along the top of the ridge of the downland, I was surprised by a sudden movement of blue just in front of me, a dragonfly, no a Chaser, this with a distinct black tip, so probably a Scarce Chaser. Also this morning an Emperor Dragonfly moving along the path, then repeating the route.
Down in the woods the strange Red Cage Fungus has emerged again, now a collapsed mess of red lattice lengths, attracting flies due to the smell!