Summer songs are ceasing, silence falls upon the skies
Now they are clear
For another year
When the larks once more shall rise
I entered the park through the Woodlands this morning, hoping against hope to find some fungi specimens. Of course I was unsuccessful. I passed Hartstongue Fern drooping forlornly in the heat, as well as a patch of shrivelling Winter Heliotrope. Long Meadow was practically a monoculture of Fleabane, with a little Meadow Bindweed mixed in, though the resident Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper butterflies didn’t seem to mind.
I made my way over to the Large Copse, a layer of low stratocumulus mercifully obscuring the sun. A large fluffy blob of cumulous hung over the Isle of Wight in the distance, sitting a little below its big sibling. Closer to home Red Bartsia was flourishing beside the path and I was astonished to have my path crossed by a Badger, its awkward ambling run giving the impression of an animal stumbling home after a late night.
Further out on the meadows the wildflowers became more diverse. The ubiquitous Birds Foot Trefoil was interspersed with Wild Carrot, Self-Heal and a little Eyebright. Magpies rattled quietly in the background, with a Jay or two alighting on Blackthorn bushes. A trio of Goldfinches darted overhead and a juvenile Blackbird hopped along the path, confusing me with its almost thrush like appearance.
Cutting across the downs to the Lighthouse Road I encountered my first Marbled Whites of the morning, as well as a Painted Lady and a few patches of Crosswort. As I left the Meadows behind me I was very aware that I hadn’t heard a single Skylark. The Lower Gulley was equally peaceful, with no birdsong that I could discern.
On the Coast Path I passed Golden Samphire and some yellowing Yellow-Wort. As I ascended the steps to Tilly Whim the sun’s rays lanced through the cloud that had been obscuring them, delivering a hearty helping of the heat that we have all become very familiar with. Looking out to the ledge I found it empty of Guillemots, with none to be seen on the water either. A single Greater Black Backed Gull circled beside the ledge, perhaps a little miffed that its seasonal snacks have left for deep water. I returned to the Learning Centre via the Diagonal path, wondering what would be next to leave us.