A step among the meadow grass stirs up a great commotion
With falling foot the static scene becomes alive with motion
A tide of orthoptera flows across the stalks and shoots
A thousand leaps and hops are instigated by my boots
An initial foray into the Woodlands for fungi this morning yielded no results, though as I threw in the towel and walked down to the Castle I was extremely pleased to see the return of several Red Cage fungi that had emerged along the timeline. I’ve been checking it regularly so I’m surprised I didn’t see their volva sprouting up. I can also offer an update on the Mystery Fungi, which is most likely a Deer Shield.
An errant Meadow Brown fluttered past me as I descended down towards the Clifftops, it’s presence soon supplanted with the Marbled Whites that tend to be more common along this route alongside the odd Lulworth Skipper. Tall Fescue heads bobbed gently in the turbulent air, while Hemp Agrimony plants reached skyward with increasing vigour.
Whitethroats were singing below the Tamarisk, with Great Black Backed Gulls gliding eastward into the wind. More and more of our Teasels were coming in to flower, purple rings encircling their spiky heads at varying heights.
Further down towards the Gulley the composition changed. Kidney Vetch, Chalk Milkwort and Wood Sage held sway on the short grassland, with Golden Samphire coming in to bloom among the rocky steps. A scan of our entombed Wild Apple tree revealed at least one fruit swelling on it’s branches, though it was hard to spot the green blob against a green background. While I was taking this all in a Peregrine Falcon passed overhead, it’s choked, screeching cry disturbing the peace of the moment.
Ascending the Gulley I found myself absorbed by the Orthoptera leaping about my feet. Tracking their springing forms I noted Field Grasshoppers and Dark Bush Crickets. Watching them jump is quite spectacular, as they can leap many times their own body length in the blink of an eye In a densely populated patch of grass they flow away from you like ripples as you walk. Extraordinary.