After some heavy showers last night, a fresh, sunny start to the day (a lovely morning for our free Park Yoga session, which take place every Sunday).
After a busy day at the Castle yesterday, lovely to spend an hour around the tranquillity of the downland, with just the whispering of the wind in the grass and the tinkling of Goldfinches for company!
Stonechats tick from among the coconut-scented Gorse, while overhead, young Swallows (with short tail streamers) and House Martins are starting to gather, swooping so low they almost brush the grass with their wings.
Above the Lighthouse Field, a Kestrel is mobbed by a noisy gang of Crows, eventually veering off in a smooth curve at a speed the Crows had no chance of matching!
Several Painted Lady butterflies on the wing, while on a patch of Hemp Agrimony (related to neither Hemp or Agrimony!), Red Admirals and Peacocks sip nectar.
Also on the wing, Common Blues, fluttering above the grassland, a Dark Green Fritillary soars above the Gully, with Lulworth Skippers, Marbled Whites and Meadow Browns galore!
As the summer turns, fruits, seeds and berries are starting to appear in the hedgerows. The first midnight blue Blackberries are starting to appear among hard crimson and green knots, while the tiny ‘tomatoes’ of the poisonous Woody Nightshade can be found, along with it’s yellow and purple flowers.
Honeysuckle is now covered with translucent, jewel-like berries, with large, glossy Bryony berries also starting to appear.
Still plenty of flowers to enjoy, including the yellow ‘Wild Snapdragon’ Common Toadflax, ‘seas’ of Eyebright and Wild Thyme, pretty little Common Rockrose near the Lighthouse, while along the cliffs, Sea Aster and Golden Samphire are also flowering.
Returning to the Learning Centre, a Green Woodpecker pokes through a Yellow Meadow Ant hill.