The sound of Skylarks drew me west into the meadows this morning. Starting with Smithfield, I could also hear soft cooing of a Woodpigeon and some cheery Goldfinches amongst the hedge.
The meadow is rich with colour; the blues of Pale Flax, magenta Red Clover, and rosy pink Common Spotted Orchids are scattered between the sunny yellows of Buttercups, Dandelions, and Birds Foot Trefoil. Ahead of me, a Common Blue Butterfly flutters between the flowers, whilst a Blackbird scavenges along the path.
On the far side of the field, swathes of towering Cocksfoot, Rough Meadow, and Quaking Grasses disguise the rich reddish-brown fur of a Roe Deer, leaving just two large ears and a set of small immature antlers poking out the top. He watched, eyes fixed on me, as I walked across the field – clearly confident in his disguise, and not wanting to give away his position with even the smallest flinch of an ear.
In the next meadow I was greeted by three Speckled Wood butterflies, all basking in the dappled sunlight under a Sycamore Tree. Their spotted wings appear to imitate the patterns of sun and shade spots on the ground. As the canopy opens up into the meadow, two Small Heath butterflies dance with one another as they spiralled up from the footpath.
Spittlebugs nymphs seemed to be the theme of this meadow. Of course I couldn’t see any directly, just the foaming bubbles of ‘spit’ which hide them from any predators, as they cling to the stems of Ribwort Plantain and Knapweed.
In Saxon Field, I finally found myself below the singing Skylarks as I made it to the old farm machinery. Here the flora changes to a very short turf with low growing Wild Thyme, Chalk Milkwort, and Horseshoe Vetch. Closer to the scrub, deep purple flowers of Tufted Vetch can be seen with their curly green tendrils ripping and climbing every stalk within reach.