An amazing lightning storm last night, where the sky was lit by flashes of brilliant light, impossible to know where the next illumination would appear. Almost no thunder accompanying it but followed by 36mm (1½”) in a very short space of time.
Still quite sticky and warm within the cloud layer that had descended on Durlston, and the area very quiet, just an occasional bird alarm call and the faint splashing of the sea against the rocks.
The meadows are still full of a wonderful selection of wildflower and grasses providing a variety of colour from dark purple to white via lilac, red, pink, greens and yellows.
The Tufted Vetch is clambering up and across grass patches, while the white umbel heads of the Wild Carrot is covering large swathes of the meadows, but it then stops almost abruptly for no immediately obvious reason while another flower Rough Hawkbit begins to dominate.
Tall stems of Agrimony rise above the ground loving Red Bartsia, Red Clover, White Clover, Field Bindweed and Bird’s Foot Trefoil. More discrete is the Hop Trefoil and Pale Flax, while the Corky-fruited Water Dropwort is turning to seed, making the corky fruited name easier to understand.
A clump of Lucerne being visited by a delicate Lacewing, while a Meadow Brown clung to the Black Knapweed flower.
A young Kestrel was calling from near the cliffs, a Green Woodpecker yaffled loudly and the wing clap of the Wood Pigeon echoed across the gully. The tinkling of a small flock of Goldfinches brought them to my attention, while amongst the rambling bright leaves of Old Man’s Beard a Stonechat hopped.
Still 7 adult Guillemots and a couple of chicks remain, by their size I’d expect them to have left for the open sea by the end of the week at the latest.