A welcome change in the weather overnight, with some brief, but heavy showers (a total of 3.6mm), which along with a strong westerly breeze make it feel much fresher this morning.
We have started cutting the eastern meadows, so there is a glorious smell of new mown hay (one particular species – Sweet Vernal Grass provides much of the scent). Further west, there are still plenty of meadows uncut and we will be leaving some areas standing for late flowering species and insects. Meadow and Field Grasshoppers sing from their depths, with a magnificent female Great Green Bush Cricket (longer than my thumb!) on a Bramble at the edge of the path. A Dark Bush Cricket also seen on top of the egg boxes in last night’s moth trap!
The meadows are starting to fade into shades of bronze, with splashes of colour from Great Knapweed, constellations of white Wild Carrot and the bold yellow flowers of Bristly Ox-tongue. Around their edges, the fluffy pale green flowers of Old Man’s Beard scramble over the hedges, with Teasels in bloom, some taller than me, around the margins.
In Saxon Field, a Badgers ‘latrine’ is filled with purple poo, mainly composed of the stones of Sloes, for which Badgers have a particular liking, though they must still be very bitter.
The Downland is still looking dazzling, with a huge variety of smaller flowers among the dry grasses. Tiny Stemless Thistles are a vibrant purple, with shoals of Red Bartsia forming dense carpets in places. The flowing white flowers of Bastard Toadflax (or ‘Stars in Grass’ to give it it’s more descriptive name) can be found on the shortest turf, which is studded with Wild Thyme. Fleabane is also in full bloom, along with yellow-flowered Wild Parsnip and white Yarrow.
Here and there, the tall yellow flower spikes of Great Mullein can be seen – some almost a couple of metres tall, while Woolly Thistle is starting to set seed.
Along the cliffs, gleaming white Gannets soar past, with a Kestrel perched just below the Observation Point. A Buzzard soars high above the back meadows, while my highlight this morning was a Weasel, rippling it’s way across the entrance road as I drove up.