A bright and breezy start to the day, with a pleasant westerly breeze rustling through the meadows, carrying the scent of Elderflower, Sweet Vernal Grass and the sea.
Along the top of the Lighthouse Field, ‘dusty’ looking Red Bartsia is starting to appear along the path edges. Like Yellow Rattle, (growing nearby) it is a semi-parasite, feeding on the surrounding grasses. Other areas of the downs are carpeted with Eyebright, Horseshoe Vetch, Wild Thyme and Yellow Rattle, with dense patches of Crosswort, blue Wild Clary, Houndstongue and Comfrey.
In the Saxon Field, the tiny, weird Adderstongue Fern can still be found in profusion, growing among Quaking Grass and the silvery leaves of Fleabane.
A true parasite to be found in the meadows – the curious, peach coloured Common Broomrape, along with huge swathes of pink Sainfoin, bobbing seas of Pale Flax and constellations of yellow Rough Hawkbit.
Ox-eye Daisies cover many of the meadows, along with thousands of Common Spotted Orchids, Pyramidal Orchids and Bee Orchids. A good year for Grass Vetchling – scattered like pink jewels among the sward, with Meadow Vetchling, Common Vetch and Birdsfoot Trefoil among the other members of the pea family in bloom. Corky-fruited Water Dropwort – an elegant member of the Cow Parsley family is also in flower, with the related Wild Carrot making some attractive displays along the clifftop.
The strange larvae of Bloody-nose Beetles can be found among the grassy paths in the meadows and downs, looking a little like ‘Jabba the Hutt’ from Star Wars, but with a pretty oily green sheen over their wrinkled skin. A red and black Cinnabar Moth whirs past – it’s wings blurring to mauve, with a pair of Speckled Wood butterflies dogfighting over a patch of sunshine.
Along the cliffs, a raft of Guillemots and Razorbills bobs on the water, cleaning their feathers, or disappearing under the water to hunt, with Fulmars, Jackdaws and Great Black-backed Gulls circling above them, as a squadron of Gannets passes by out at sea.