The meadows called as the fog wafted in and out, the sky a mix of thick dark grey cloud, stunning blue patches, fluffy white clouds and damp grey fog! The initial impression was of a wonderful display of Bulbous Buttercups, the waxy yellow flowers catching the sunshine.
On second take, the variety of flowers is amazing, with clumps of Eggs & Bacon (another name for Bird’s-foot Trefoil) and named after its mix of colour combining with the yellow Hay Rattle and the pinks of Common Spotted Orchids.
The delicate Pale Flax, one of the tallest plants, waving in the gentle breeze, with both Red and White Clover, Common Vetch and Black Medic providing splashes lower down.
Quaking Grass – such a pretty grass with its small reddish, almost diamond shaped flower heads dangling, mixing with the Crested Dog’s Tail, Rye Grass and sturdier Cocksfoot.
Scattered in amongst the swathe are some beautiful Bee Orchids, but my favourite sight of the walk today was the cerise pink single flower on a long stem of the Grass Vetchling.
Skylarks galore, the sound of their song pouring down from the sky while more could be seen disappearing into the long grass of the meadows – hopefully to tend their chicks, so please keep to the main paths and keep your dogs to them too.
A few butterflies in flight, the dazzling vivid blue of the Adonis Blue perched on Horseshoe Vetch, this the foodplant of its caterpillar. The more lilac Common Blue and the tiny browner Small Blue. Basking on the paths a Small Heath while on a dry-stone wall was a Wall Brown. Large White, Small White and Speckled Wood also encountered.
In the moth trap only 19 species, 60 moths – including Light Feathered Rustic, Scalloped Hazel and a Dark Swordgrass, while a 6-spot Burnet moth caterpillar crawled up a grass stem.
As I scanned with binoculars from the top of round Down, 5 Roe Deer were spotted; a pair in the meadows, a pair on the front of the downs and a single male just near me.