Celandine is dying back, it is not long to last
Buttercups are rising now, it’s time the torch was passed
I entered the park through Long Meadow this morning, which is really starting to come to life. Bulbous and Meadow Buttercups have begun sprouting tall above the grasses and a dense mass of Fleabane is unfolding beneath. The Car Park hosted Chiffchaffs, Chaffinches and Goldfinches, all perched prominently and signing with gusto.
A stroll through Large Copse revealed flourishing Rosy Crust and Hairy Stearum on the log borders, evidently invigorated by last night’s rain. A Buff Tailed Bumble Bee was indulging in the nectar of a Sycamore’s “flowers”, its bulbous body looking rather unwieldy in the air. I continued on to Saxon Field, checking by one of the cattle drinkers for more fungi finds. Instead, I found a dead Brimstone butterfly floating in the water.
Travelling further out onto the downs, an unfamiliar song caught my attention and a quick binocular scan revealed a Blackcap, perched atop an Elder and delivering a very tasteful aria. It’s always nice when they make it easy for me. Several Whitethroats were doing the same, but they’re better known for their exhibitionist tendencies.
Common Vetch is becoming much more prolific and I noticed several tufts with their purple flowers as I descended towards the lighthouse, nearly stepping on an Early Purple Orchid on the way. In my defence, there are a lot of them. Also about were our lovely Early Spider Orchids and several thick patches of Crosswort. I also spied a bird that looked a lot like a Brambling sitting on a Blackthorn bush. I’m not certain, but it definitely wasn’t a Chaffinch.
Chalk Milkwort was busy forming a blue carpet over the rolling hills, and a few Kidney Vetch were adding splashes of yellow to the mix for good measure. I enjoyed the distant song of a Skylark emanating from Brian Johnson Meadow, as well as the parachuting display of a Rock Pipit by Tilly Whim. A Jackdaw was hopping up an erosion track in a flagrant disregard for our “to reduce erosion avoid this area” signage. I approached up the stairs to give it a stern talking to but it took wing before I could confront it. Some visitors have no respect for the environment.