Ready always nature lies
Original and ever wise
Yet low beneath the cloudy skies
Grains are found by hungry eyes
Blooms from them will not arise
In the glow of next sunrise
Violent is their demise
Despite the dull weather the park was decidedly colourful today as I made my way around, the rich red berries of Hawthorn particularly striking, alongside those of Cotoneaster and the equally vivid rosehips of Dog Roses.
Walking along the path through the woodlands the orange fronds of Hairy Stearum adorned many a log, with the orangy berries of Stinking Iris complimenting them nicely. Though our wildflowers are largely dormant at the moment, you can still catch the ever-present yellow flowers of Gorse, as well as a few Ragwort out there that stubbornly refuse to die. I also spotted a fresh Yellow Fieldcap in the Castle garden yesterday.
The park certainly isn’t short of greenery with our Holm Oak population looking lush despite shedding a large volume of leaves. The dark green needles of Yew and Macrocarpa are also on display in between the bare branches of the parks deciduous population.
Blue Tits were chirping away from the spiky branches of Blackthorn, still laden with sloes. Occasionally the clouds parted to reveal a flash of clear sky as I headed towards the Clifftops, but it was soon covered again.
Other sightings of note included Field Mushrooms, Clouded Funnels, Jelly Ear and Conical Brittlestem in the fungi department. The skies were hosting a few Magpies and Goldfinches, plus the odd Stonechat and Blackbird. I wasn’t quite sure how to make these species fit with today’s theme but I didn’t want to leave them out. Never mind, in dey go.
Last on my list of sightings for today were a few Knapweed flowers still in bloom, their shrinking petals a pleasant violet colour. Quite the spectrum of sightings today, I’m sure you’ll agree.