A breathless, hushed start to the day with a little blue sky breaking through the cloud and the wonderful smells of meadow and woodland after rain.
New flowers are coming into bloom almost by the day, with a huge patch of Hemp Agrimony newly in bloom on the Diagonal Path, already attracting Meadow Brown butterflies. Along the Coast Path, the shiny, prickly leaves of Madder are covered in tiny yellow flowers (being slowly munched by a Bloody-nose Beetle!), while on the clifftop turf, Thrift, Horseshoe Vetch and Sea Campion form a colourful carpet. Yellow-wort is just coming into bloom, with cushions of Wild Thyme in places.
The meadows are truly breathtaking at the moment – a riot of colour and form, with each square foot containing a dozen or more species. The Paddock is covered with thousands of Common Spotted Orchids with many more across the other fields from just off-white to deep pink. Bee Orchids and Pyramidal Orchids are also in bloom along with the parasitic Common Broomrape – entirely without chlorophyll, so looking a little like a dead orchid (though unrelated).
Most numerous of all, Ox-eye Daisies and Rough Hawkbit, with other flowers including Meadow Buttercup, Yellow Rattle, Pale Flax, Common Vetch, Corky-fruited Water Dropwort and the jewel-like Grass Vetchling.
Along the cliffs, Guillemots, Razorbills, Fulmars, Shags and Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls are all on the wing, many with hungry chicks to feed!
A ‘micro meadow’ has appeared in one of our trailers (due to our slovenly housekeeping!) including Cocksfoot, Ox-eye Daisies and Herb Robert!