Delightful pink petals
Tempt butterflies, bees, and beetles
Drawn through the salty sea air
It appears that the low clouds which have been smothering Durlston and the hills around Swanage may finally be lifting. Sunny views have been restored and an abundance of boats revealed out to sea. On the cliffs the Guillemots and Razorbills can be spotted through the swathes of Sea Thrift and Sea Campion along the coast path – that’s if you don’t smell them first!
Meadow Buttercup, Bird’s Foot Trefoil and Pale Flax have coloured the meadow canopy both yellow and blue. True to it’s name, the Ox-eye Daisy Field with the large sunny flowers, following on from the Cowslips which have now gone over for the year. Occasionally small bouquets of deep pink Sainfoin provide a particularly charming sight.
A low hum can be heard on the approach to the corner of Saxon Field, where the dropping clusters of Sycamore flowers have provided a feast for Honeybees and Bumblebees alike. It appears the leaves of many Holm Oaks have turned brown over the last couple months. I wonder if this is because they are ready to be replaced by new foliage or due to an abundance of Leaf-mining Insects taking their toll.
As I approach the downs, the familiar tapping call of Stonechats can be heard. Our Hereford calves rest lazily on the grass, whilst the mothers are up early and busy grazing, ensuring they can feed the little’uns! An old and tatty Dingy Skipper flutters by, catching my eye with it’s unusually pale wings which could have easily been mistaken for a moth.
At the gully bridge the noisy chirping of fledging Blue Tits can be heard as they call out to their parents to be fed. The adult birds busily bounce between the branches with bugs in their beaks, trying to keep up with the young birds stretching out their wings for the first time. This chore is soon to come for the Blue Tits in our camera nest box – you can see the live feed of these chicks in the castle!