After a wet and blustery night, surprisingly dry and calm for the morning rounds!
Despite grey skies overhead, the meadows are a riot of colour, as they approach their midsummer peak!
Thousands of Common Spotted Orchids are scattered across the fields, in shades ranging from almost white to ‘Raspberry Ripple’ pink. Deep pink Pyramidal Orchids are scattered among them, with beautiful, furry, pink petalled Bee Orchids nestling among the grass.
Ox-eye Daisies bob in the breeze, with delicate blue-flowered Pale Flax, and the thousands of little ‘suns’ of Rough Hawkbit and the huge Dandelion ‘clocks’ of it’s relative, Goatsbeard.
A wonderful variety of white Umbellifers (or Cow Parsley family) flowers in bloom. Some meadows are densely packed with the wonderfully named Corky-fruited Water Dropwort – a very dainty looking plant with grooved stems and ferny leaves, along with the chunkier, pink-tinged Wild Carrot, sturdy looking Hogweed and yellow flowered Wild Parsnip.
Below them, a dense tangle of Meadow Vetchling, Yellow Rattle, Fairy Flax, Common Vetch and the pale yellow ‘pom-pom’ flowers of Hop Trefoil (and the related Black Medick) to name just a few.
The downland is almost as colourful, with carpets of Wild Thyme, honey-scented Ladies Bedstraw (yellow) and Hedge Bedstraw (white). The first purple flowers of Greater Knapweed are starting to bloom, among the huge leaves of a patch of Burdock and the spiky leaves of Teasels.
A flock of twittering Linnets rise up from a Hawthorn as I walk by, with Skylarks filling the air overhead with song.
In the hedges, Blackcaps, Whitethroats, Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits and Chiffchaffs weave among the tangle of Bryony, Honeysuckle, Old Man’s Beard and the white, sweet scented flowers of Elder.
Along the cliffs, Guillemots, Razorbills and Fulmars are all on the wing, still busy, as breeding season draws to a close.