The beautiful white blossoms of a Mock Orange drew me towards the woodland this morning. I found myself following a friendly Robin as he hopped along the path into front of me, and lead me into the shade of the evergreen Holm Oaks. The continuous chatter of a Chiffchaff could be heard on a loop, somewhere in the distance.
Looking out from the Rest & Admire viewpoint, a low mist obscures the view of Old Harry Rocks. The sea has relaxed into a state of calm following the high winds yesterday and overnight. The Sun breaks through the clouds above, to reflect upon the gentle swells that roll around Durlston Head and into the bay. It’s heat wakes the first couple butterflies of the day; a Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.
A large Garden Snail glides its way up over a coping stone a dry stone way, its long upper tentacles peering out upon this new view of the world, whilst the lower tentacles study the rock’s surface, feeling and smelling as it moves. A thick patch of Enchanters Nightshade sprouts up from behind the wall, each of its stalks adorned with delicate little flowers that gently sway in the breeze.
Of all the woodland flowers, it’s the Stinking Iris which really steals the show. They can found every few metres and each adorned in a pretty crown of purple petals. Some have now gone over, but others still welcome a variety of Bumblebees to their nectar.
More butterflies stir in the meadow; Gatekeepers and a Red Admiral all fluttering from flower to flower across the swathes of Agrimony, Buttercup, and Red Clover. Tufted Vetch climbs the hedge row, its long tendrils twisting and turning to climb the stems of Meadow Grass and Bristly Ox-tongue towards the upper branches of Hawthorn and English Oak.