A lovely fresh summer morning, with trails of high cloud across a deep blue sky. Around the meadows, the air is full of the smell of Elderflower, Sweet Vernal Grass, where the paths have been mown and a heady mixture of summer flowers and the sea.
The hedgerows are dotted with the pretty purple and yellow flowers of Bittersweet (or Woody Nightshade), with Cleavers (covered in tiny, white star-like flowers) also scrambling over the Blackthorn and Hawthorn. At the base of the hedges, Stinking Iris is in bloom – one of only 2 species of native Irises, the marbled purple flowers would be worthy of any garden display.
Skylarks sing above the fields, while below them, tens of thousands of Common Spotted Orchids are in bloom, varying in colour from dark ‘Raspberry Ripple’ to almost white. The first Pyramidal Orchids are also starting to appear, along with a few of the extraordinary looking Bee Orchids.
Swathes of tall pink Sainfoin in many of the meadows, along with Ox-eye Daisies, Yellow Rattle, Marjoram, Sorrel, Pale Flax, and the stunning pink flowers of Grass Vetchling, scattered like jewels among the grass. An attractive member of the ‘Cow Parsley’ family, most notable for it’s name, Corky-fruited Water Dropwort can also be found in profusion.
The downland is also looking great at the moment, with Wild Thyme, Eyebright, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Horseshoe Vetch, Quaking Grass, Salad Burnet, Burnet Rose and Dwarf Thistle just a few of the plants in bloom at the moment.
Even the kerbs around the Car Parks are full of life, with plants in bloom including Scarlet Pimpernel, Smooth Sow-thistle, Bristly Ox-tongue, Red Valerian and the strange square-stemmed Figwort.
Unusually for Durlston, 4 Swifts swirl above the Learning Centre, with a noisy family of 4 young Blue Tits (I like to think they are the ones from our camera nestbox outside the office window!) playing in a patch of scrub in South Field.
To see some of these, and others, join me on our ‘Wild Summer’ guided walk at 2.30 this afternoon.