A still, hot start to the day, with not even a breath of wind. In the morning hush, the sound of grasshoppers and bush crickets fills the air in the meadows, with carolling of Skylarks, the droning of bees and chatter of young birds in the hedgerows the only other sounds to be heard – lovely!
As the summer turns, the earlier dominant flush of yellow flowers is now being gradually replaced by increasing numbers of purple and pink blooms. Tall, dark purple Greater Knapweed towers above the grasses, with smaller, pinker Black Knapweed in the denser grass below. The tall slender stems of Field Scabious are topped with pale lilac flowers, while here and there, the single pink ‘pea’ flowers of Grass Vetchling can be found, like tiny jewels among the golden grasses.
Orange Soldier Beetles crawl up the yellow spikes of Agrimony, while the air is filled with whirling clouds of Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites. Iridescent green Thick-kneed Flower Beetles bask on the broad, flat heads of Wild Carrot, with yellow Wild Parsnip also starting to bloom.
On the downs, Greater Willowherb is starting to flower – it’s pink flowers surrounding white ‘plus-shaped’ stamens, with white Hedge Bedstraw growing alongside fluffy yellow Ladies Bedstraw. On the short turf, Wild Thyme is growing alongside white constellations of Eyebright, the wonderfully named Squinancywort, and tangles of Restharrow.
Pyramidal and Common Spotted Orchids are still in bloom, while after our Stargazing event last night, a colleague spotted some of the year’s first Glow-worms.
Overhead, a few Swallows pass by, with a Swift also seen – rolling through the air on sickle-shaped wings.
The cliffs seem very quiet, with just a few Guillemots and Razorbills remaining although a pair of Kestrels were shattering the silence with their shrieks, as Gannets and Shags pass the cliffs. The seaside relative of Cleavers – Wild Madder, is in flower along many of the clifftop walls – covered in tiny yellow star-like flowers.
In the relative cool of the woodland, white-flowered Enchanter’s Nightshade is in bloom, as Speckled Wood butterflies dogfight over patches of sunshine.