The sun had baked exposed clay into a solid, fissured surface ideal for basking insects. Plenty of flies took to landing on my face, neck and arms… if only I had a ponytail to swish them away! This morning’s dominant butterfly (in the meadows) was Meadow Brown although eleven Marbled White one Large White and I suspected several Small Skippers appeared. Today, a Six Spot Burnet Moth cocoon was a bulge upon a Corky Fruited Water Dropwort stem, of which there were plenty in South Field. In Boys Brigade a Cow Parsley flower stood at my head height. Whilst a Magpie flew up from the ground with food in its beak, a Woodpigeon flew overhead with a twig. The latter species can breed all year round!
In Saxon’s “Fox” corner there was a Roe Deer today. It had a black shiny nose and short upright antlers. Silently it disappeared into the cover. The male of a Stonechat couple perched on an Elder crown and bounced calls with another male. A quartet of speeding chattering Goldfinches flew overhead. Latter I saw one land in the Wildlife Garden Buddleia then it and another visited the pond edge to drink perhaps before taking up a perch in car park edge Hawthorn.
In Saxon south facing meadow a trio of young men with their tent a disposable BBQ were spoken hopefully firmly, fairly and helpfully. Common Centaury showed pink petals and yellow stamen, this flower can close in the absence of sunlight. Not unusually a Song Thrush broadcast near the Large Copse. The wood itself provided dappled shade thanks to the leaves of Ash, Sycamore, Horse Chestnut and Holm Oak of course. An under storey of Privet had a tendril out into the hedgerow between the Paddock and Taskers. In the sun the Privet bloomed white flowers. The woodland flower of course went from a carpet of Winter Heliotrope leaves to that of Ivy penetrated by Stinking Iris a Dock and saplings as well as Enchanter’s Nightshade which held a few delicate flowers. Cleavers, now with round sticky burrs, had begun climbing a Black Pine trunk. Back at the centre the “cheep, cheep” of a male House Sparrow rang out from the buildings corner. Swallows flew outside the building as I typed.