Although plenty of ‘May’ or Hawthorn blossom is in flower, I definitely won’t be casting any clouts just yet, with a chilly north-easterly breeze and no sunshine making me glad I wore an extra layer!
Nonetheless, a dazzling array of spring flowers to mark the turning seasons. All over the downs, hundreds of dark pink Early Purple Orchids poke out of the grass, with a few of the shorter, more purple Green-winged Orchid, dotted among them. Harder to spot, but much more numerous, hundreds of Early Spider Orchids, now starting to turn.
Some of the meadows are carpeted with Cowslips, with patches of slender blue Pale Flax, swaying gently in the breeze. Here and there, the first of the Yellow Rattle is in bloom, nestled among the grass, with an eye-catching patch of bright pink Sainfoin – the first I’ve seen this year in the centre of one of the meadows.
Also in bloom, Bulbous Buttercup, Dandelion, Common Vetch, Birdsfoot Trefoil and Tall Fescue to name just a few.
Overhead, Skylarks trill gloriously, with birdsong from the hedgerows including Whitethroat, Robin, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Dunnock. Flocks of Goldfinch shower the Park with their bubbling calls, with a Stonechat holding forth from a patch of Gorse just over the wall on the downs.
The fluffy pale green leaves of Fleabane can be found in profusion in Saxon Field, along with the tiny, curious Adderstongue Fern. A quick check on the cows, who have their heads down and are grazing away.
Elsewhere on the downs, Horseshoe Vetch is starting to flower, along with vibrant blue Chalk Milkwort, Wild Thyme, Germander Speedwell and Crosswort.
A Kestrel hangs above Round Down, with a Raven ‘cronk’-ing as he calls to his mate across the Gully, with the chuckle of a Green Woodpecker heard nearby, with a few newly returned Swifts seen on my way up the hill