A glorious spring morning, with brilliant morning sunshine streaming down from an immaculate blue dome of sky.
In the cool green shade of the woodland, Speckled Wood butterflies dance in the dappled sunshine, as smart Orange Tips bustle along the verges.
The woodland floor is a rich shade of green, carpeted with the leaves of Lords and Ladies and drifts of white-flowered Ramsons and patches of Three-cornered Leek, Bluebells, pink Herb Robert and more. Tall stands of Cow Parsley sway in the gentle breeze, as waves lap gently against the beach in Durlston Bay.
The drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker echoes among the tree, with a London Plane near the Aviaries looking fantastic as the dappled sunshine echoes it’s patchwork bark.
In Long Meadow, the tall blue flowers of Pale Flax stand proud amnid the smaller grasses and herbs, with a patch of Comfrey also catching my eye.
Among the shorter grass, extensive patches of the tiny Adderstongue Fern, nestle alongside Birdsfoot Trefoil, Glaucous Sedge and some early flowering Yellow Rattle.
Bands of pink Thrift adorn the clifftop, with Sea Campion and Common Mallow also in bloom along the rocky ledges.
Several Swallows swoop in off the sea, with the scratchy song of Whitethroats from the scrub above the path.
Down below, dozens of Guillemots and Razorbills bob on the waves, as Fulmars circles smoothly above them. Great and Lesser Black-backed Gulls are also on the wing, with a few Gannets way out at sea and a Kestrel seen hovering above the Globe.
The song of Skylarks drifts in from the meadows, where there are some fine displays of Cowslips and Orchids (with Early Spider, Early Purple, Green-winged, Southern Marsh and Twayblade all in bloom at the moment).
To enjoy some of these flowers, why not join our walk at 2.30 today, with botanist Ted Pratt.