Life is warmth and warmth is life, from Arctic to Equator
Cold and heat fail to entreat, warmth is the actuator
It’s warmth we crave and cold we brave when no warmth’s to be found
So hold on fast and try to last till spring next comes around
Durlston was in the grip of an icy chill when I arrived this morning. A band of cumuloform clouds were stretched across the horizon out to sea, with altoform and cirroform layered above. Starting down Long Meadow I shivered a little as the windchill began to bite.
It seemed that most of Durlston’s wildlife had decided to metaphorically stay in bed with a mug of metaphorical hot chocolate. Very little was stirring, with even the flora seeming quiet, closed and reserved. A scarce few Robins made very fleeting appearances outside the shelter of the scrub, with stems of Madder further down offering up a few berries. Somewhere in the distance I could discern the half-hearted calls of a few Great Tits and Jays, but it seemed like the cold was putting a damper on their usually enthusiastic vocalisations.
Within the woods the fungi population had died down again, with a few Coral and Coral Spot Fungi doggedly clinging on to life in the unfavourable conditions. I also spied a patch of yellow-green Fleabane that was persisting past its sell by date. Tough stuff.
Down towards the cliffs I stopped by the Dell to admire a large Southern Bracket, several years old and still growing strong. A new specimen was emerging from the same stump. Perhaps a son or daughter. Opposite a supposedly dead Willow tree was sending out fresh whips, the thin stems reaching straight up from the main trunks. Those trees do not know when to quit.
A few Herring and Greater Black Backed Gulls could be seen riding the frigid winds, with a small flock of half a dozen Goldfinches and a few groups of Wood Pigeons also on the wing. A visitor to the park reported briefly seeing the Peregrine Falcons, borne swiftly past by the brisk winds. Dunnocks and Blackbirds were also present further up within the masses of Gorse and Blackthorn on the hillside. I took a moment to examine the rosettes of leaves mixed in with the Tor Grass. Bristly Ox Tongue and Ribwort Plantain were well represented. Just because they’re not flowering doesn’t mean they’re gone.