Perception presupposes presence of illumination
Necessary if your need is nature observation
But what can show can also hide a wondrous wild presence
Come after dark and you will see the Glow Worm’s luminescence
The Fairy Ink Caps I stumbled upon a few days ago had already gone over when I checked on them this morning, collapsing into a blackish morass rather than deliquescing into sticky ink like their cousins. The Branched Oyster was faring better, though not exhibiting the explosive growth I’d hoped to see.
Long Meadow was a significant change of scenery from the Woodlands. Common Vetch, Fleabane and Horsetail were the most common inhabitants, with Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers all to be seen within a few feet of the path. A Common Wasp buzzed around at the crest of the hill, its black and yellow danger pattern a warning to passers by. Please try and be empathetic to Common Wasps, I know they’re annoying but they have a hard life, so we should forgive them a little antisocial behaviour whilst their colonies collapse in late summer.
I noticed a number of Swallows on the wing, tracing intricate flight patterns and skimming low over the Wildlife Pond in their hunt for insects. After observing them for a few moments I moved on, skirting the top of the Gulley under a blanket of Altostratus.
Globe Thistles were coming into flower along the path margins. This plant like many others exhibits a Fibonacci or “Golden Spiral” pattern in its physiology. You can see the same in mollusc shells, pinecones and many other structures. And they say you’ll never use maths in real life.
Goldfinches, Chaffinches and Wrens were all to be seen and heard around the place with Marbled Whites becoming increasingly common the further meadow-ward I travelled. Skylarks were still performing their signature songs, with a little light percussion accompaniment from Stonechats in the shrubbery. Training my binoculars on one such patch of Blackthorn I was greeted by the arch nemesis of the birder, the LBJ or “little brown job”. Its complete lack of distinctive features made me suspect it was a Garden Warbler, but I am unable to confirm.
Turning my back on the downs I headed back inland, waved farewell by a beautiful patch of Eyebright on the crest of the Lighthouse slope and a Red Admiral butterfly that was happening past.