I set out today on a very windy morning to spot a wild Triceratops grazing by the entrance road – it must be time for the Dinosaur trail! I headed straight down into the woods by the timeline, amongst the shelter of the Elms and Holm Oaks, checking on the Red Cage fungus on my way. A pair of Great Tits jumped between the branches above my head.
Along the coastpath I heard the calls of both a Green Woodpecker and a Jay, though they must have seen me before I got the chance to see them! I walked straight down to the landslip, past a bright hedgerow of Buddleia, Red Valerian, Honeysuckle and Montbretia - a non-native species probably escaped from the nearby gardens.
As I clambered down the increasingly slippery slope of clay and chunks of limestone, the plants grew thin as the wind got wilder. On the shore of the bay a few hardy plants; Bristly Ox-tongue, Tall Melilot and Hemp Agrimony braved the salty gales.
A group of 16 or so Black-headed gulls sheltered on what was left of the beach. The tide was high, with 2-3 foot waves churning out masses of seaweed. Wireweed, Sea Lettuce and Oarweed ripped from their holdfasts on the seabed, marked on the strandline. Of course with an assortment of plastic littered amongst them – how strange to think of this a natural sight these days; with plastic only being invented a few generations ago.
On my return to the centre, I walked up through Long Meadow. A female Blackbird drew my attention to some almost ripe blackberries on some Brambles in the hedge: They do know its July, right? I also noticed the sloes have started grow on the Blackthorn. It’s only just the start of the school summer holidays and I already know September is going to roll around in no time at all!