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A Suffolk Lane

~ A diary of my life in rural north Suffolk.

A Suffolk Lane

Category Archives: wild flowers

Slightly Newer News!

20 Mon Mar 2017

Posted by Clare Pooley in churches, Gardening, plants, Rural Diary, trees, walking, weather, wild flowers

≈ 56 Comments

Tags

bird-scare cannons, Christmas box, crocus, Cymbidium orchids, dandelion, Diary, Germander Speedwell, Homersfield church, mallards, miniature iris, Periwinkle, primroses, snow, snowdrops, St Mary's church Homersfield, Suffolk, sweet violets, walking, winter-flowering honeysuckle

p1010687sunday-morning-snow

We had a dusting of snow five weeks ago

This is the view from our spare bedroom window.  We had had a few days of snow showers but nothing had settled until we woke on the Sunday morning to this.  Up until a few years ago we got snow every winter, sometimes a lot of snow; but not now.

p1010691homersfield-church

Homersfield church is dedicated to St Mary

Richard and I went to church together that Sunday.

p1010688russian-richard

Here he is, looking very Russian!

Homersfield church is beautifully situated on a bluff above the River Waveney with its water meadows and marshes.  My favourite approach to it is up a track through woodland.

p1010689homersfield-churchyard

The churchyard. Beyond the trees the land drops away steeply.

p1010690homersfield-churchyard

Homersfield churchyard looking towards the woodland where we park our car.

p1010692woodland-beyond-the-churchyard-homersfield

The woodland with snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)

p1010693snowdrops

Snowdrops

The snow had all gone by the end of the day and the beginning of the following week was mild and sunny.

Richard and I went out for a short walk down the lane.  He can’t walk too far as yet so we weren’t able to do our usual circuit route but it was good to be out together.

p1010698bird-scarer

We have been listening to bird-scaring cannons going off at intervals every day, from dawn til dusk since the middle of autumn. Wood pigeons do considerable damage to leafy crops such as oil-seed rape.

p1010701view

Bare trees and a see-through hedge

Further up the lane was the sheltered bank of a ditch on which I found a number of tiny plants.  They had begun flowering in the milder weather we had had that week.

p1010702primrose

Primrose (Primula vulgaris) plants

p1010703primrose

Primrose.  This is a ‘thrum-eyed’ primrose flower.  If you look at the centre of the flower you see its long stamens, the short stigma is hidden below.  A ‘pin-eyed’ primrose has a long stigma visible and its short stamens are concealed.  I will see if I can find a ‘pin-eye’ flower so you can compare the two.

p1010704speedwell

Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys)

p1010705dandelion

Dandelion (Taraxacum agg.)

p1010706red-deadnettle

Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum)

p1010707tree

An oak tree in a hedgerow. A dead branch has broken and is dangling from the tree.  You cannot see it in this photo but a single track road runs this side of the hedge.

p1010708signpost

The signpost at the end of the lane

Field view
Field view
Field view
Field view

We stood for a while and looked across the fields; we tried to walk a little further towards the village of St James but Richard soon knew he would be too tired if he went any further.  We turned for home.

Our muddy lane
Our muddy lane
Our muddy lane
Our muddy lane
Our muddy lane
Our muddy lane

For many months of the year our lane is covered with a thick layer of mud.  Our cars are perpetually filthy and walking is a messy business!

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) on our pond.

I know it is spring once I start to see pairs of Mallards on our pond! We have also been visited by our Graylag geese friends and yet again we realise we have failed to clear the the willow and bramble scrub off the island they like to nest on.

I was pleased that my Cymbidium orchids flowered from Christmas until just a week ago.

They had produced seven spikes of flowers altogether, which is the best ever!

Here is a slideshow of the flowers in bloom in my garden during February.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My music choice is ‘Laudate Dominum’ by Mozart and sung by Emma Kirkby.  I have been fortunate to have heard Emma Kirkby sing on two occasions, in recitals held at the church in my mother’s village.

Thanks for visiting!

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Highlights Part 7 : Redgrave and Lopham Fen

14 Tue Feb 2017

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, plants, Rural Diary, walking, wild flowers

≈ 67 Comments

Tags

ferns, flowers, plants, Redgrave and Lopham Fen, Suffolk, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, wild flowers

At the beginning of September, I visited Redgrave and Lopham Fen with my friend Heather whom I hadn’t seen for over a year.  It was a very muggy, clammy day so not ideal for walking any distance.

p1010278r-l-fen

Redgrave and Lopham Fen – one of the many large ponds.

The sedge and reeds were very tall so we didn’t manage to see much open water and the pathways across the fen were quite narrow and enclosed at times.  We got very hot and sticky and our feet were black with the peaty soil we walked on.  However, we saw a few interesting plants and we managed to catch up with all our news!

p1010279r-l-fen

Water at Redgrave and Lopham Fen

Redgrave and Lopham Fen is situated on the border between Suffolk and Norfolk and is owned and maintained by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.  It is where the River Waveney and the Little Ouse River have their beginning.  It is the largest remaining area of river valley fen in England.  Its diverse habitat make it a very important site; saw sedge beds, open water, heathland, scrub and woodland can all be found here.

It is one of only three sites in the UK where the Fen Raft Spider can be found, though we didn’t manage to see it on our walk.  Nineteen species of dragonfly, twenty-seven species of butterfly, twenty-six species of mammal, four species of amphibian, four species of reptile and ninety-six species of bird can be seen here.  The beginning of September isn’t a great time of year to go looking for wildlife but we were pleased with what we did manage to see.  It is a place I would like to return to one day.

p1010255rosehips-r-l-fen

Hips of the Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

p1010258purple-loosestrife

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

Surprisingly for a plant so widespread, this was the first time I had seen this flower since I was a little girl.

p1010266purple-loosestrife

Purple Loosestrife

p1010259purple-loosestrife-mint

Purple Loosestrife and Water Mint (Mentha aquatica)

p1010260birds-foot-trefoil

Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus pendunculatus)

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Bird’s-foot Trefoil seedheads with Fen Bedstraw (Galium uliginosum)

These seedheads really do look a bit like birds feet!

Bulrush and Common Reed
Bulrush and Common Reed
Bulrush and Common Reed
Bulrush and Common Reed

Bulrush (Typha latifolia) is also known as Great Reedmace.  Common Reed (Phragmites australis) stands in this country are a priority habitat because of their importance for wildlife as food and shelter.

p1010267devils-bit-scabious

Devil’s-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)

According to legend, the Devil was so angry with this plant because it was successful at curing all sorts of ailments that he bit off part of the root.  The plant may have a short root but it still has curative powers!  Nicholas Culpeper says the boiled root is good for snake-bite, swollen throats, wounds and the plague.

p1010268devils-bit-scabious

A meadow full of Devil’s-bit Scabious

p1010269broad-buckler-fern

Broad Buckler Fern (Dryopteris dilatata)

Broad Buckler Fern has 3-times pinnate leaves.  Pinnate leaves are made up of leaflets, often in pairs, attached to a central stem and often with a terminal leaflet.  2-times pinnate leaves = the leaflets have their own leaflets.  3-times pinnate leaves = the leaflets of the leaflets have leaflets!  Broad Buckler Fern has a long stalk which only has leaf branches for half its length.

p1010270earthball

Probably Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum)

p1010271blackberries

Blackberries on Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.)  There is an out-of-focus Speckled Wood butterfly sitting on a leaf just to the right of the top red berry

p1010272haws

Haws of a Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

p1010274lesser-water-parsnip-perhaps

This might be Lesser Water Parsnip (Berula erecta)

p1010276amphibious-bistort-perhaps

I believe this is probably Amphibious Bistort (Persicaria amphibia)

It took me a while to identify this plant, mainly because it is extremely variable.  It has two main forms – an aquatic form, which is described and illustrated in most ID guides, and a terrestrial form, which isn’t often described and hardly ever illustrated.  The plant I saw is the terrestrial form.

p1010277mole-in-peat

This mole-hill shows how black the soil is

p1010282common-valerian

Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)

p1010281guelder-rose

Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus) with clusters of red berries

Heather kindly bought me a gift of two hardy cyclamen plants as our meeting was close to my birthday.  I took a photo of them at the end of October where I had planted them in my garden.

p1010470cyclamen

White and purple hardy cyclamen.  I am hoping they will spread out under the shrubs I have in this border and prevent the moss from returning as soon as my back is turned!

Thanks for visiting!

 

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Highlights Part 4

30 Mon Jan 2017

Posted by Clare Pooley in Gardening, Insects, plants, Rural Diary, wild flowers

≈ 55 Comments

Tags

bee orchid, black medick, branched bur-reed, clouds, Common Spotted-orchid, Escallonia, five-spot burnet, garden, garden flowers, gazania, hedge woundwort, house-leek, hoverfly syrphus ribesii, hoverfly volucella pellucans, insects, iris, large skipper butterfly, micro moth, plants, red-eyed damselfly, southern cuckoo bumblebee, Suffolk, wasp beetle, weather, White Clover, wild flowers

p1000549rain-clouds

We had stormy weather like this all through last summer!

p1000654clouds

Many beautiful cloudscapes

p1000655clouds

Cloudy sunsets….

p1000559mist

…and a lot of misty evenings!

p1000561mist

ooOOoo

p1000563gazania

Richard grew Gazanias in pots last summer. They did very well especially towards the end of summer when the weather improved.

p1000568iris

I discovered this rather chewed iris on the bank of the big pond in our garden. We don’t have any other irises like this. I wonder where it came from?

p1000569red-eyed-damselfly

Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas)

I saw this damselfly on a lilypad on the big pond.  I zoomed my camera as far as it would go and then cropped the shot which explains the poor quality of the photo.  I needed to ID this damselfly which is a new one for our garden.

In 2014 I discovered a Bee Orchid in our garden and was very excited.  I looked for it again in 2015 but it didn’t re-appear.  Last summer I looked again at the place where I had found the orchid and was again disappointed.  However, a few days later I found four bee orchid plants about 2 metres away from the original plant.  I have already seen a few leaf rosettes this winter so I know that the orchids have survived.

Bee Orchid

Bee Orchid

Bee Orchid

Bee Orchid

p1000578bumble-bee

This may be a Southern Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus vestalis) on white Allium

p1000579wasp-beetle

A Wasp Beetle (Clytus arietis)

p1000581common-spotted-orchid

Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)

When we moved into our house we discovered one of these orchids growing close to the house.  I moved it to a safer place and since then it has done well and the plant has spread all over the garden.  I often find seedlings in a tub or flower pot where they seem very happy and grow enormous like the one in the photo.

p1000583hoverfly-syrphus-ribesii

Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii on Escallonia ‘Apple Blossom’

p1000596five-spot-burnet-moth

Five-spot Burnet moth (Zygaena trifolii) on White Clover (Trifolium repens)

p1000597five-spot-burnet-moth

Five-spot Burnet on White Clover

p1000598house-leek

House-leek in flower

img_2774large-skipper

Large Skipper butterfly (Ochlodes sylvanus) on Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’.

p1000632hedge-woundwort

Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)

p1000633black-medick

Black Medick (Medicago lupulina)

p1000635volucella-pellucens

Hoverfly Volucella pellucens

p1000639moth-h-fly

The same hoverfly next to a tiny micro-moth

p1000641branched-bur-reed

Branched Bur-reed (Sparganium erectum)

I have now caught up with all the photos taken in and near my garden last year.  I have photographs from a few outings we did that I would like to share with you and then I can concentrate on this year!

Here is my music selection – Chris Rea’s ‘Heaven’ – one of my most favourite songs!

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

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Highlights Part 3 Strumpshaw Fen

09 Mon Jan 2017

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, plants, Rural Diary, wild flowers

≈ 60 Comments

Tags

common meadow-rue, common twayblade, common valerian, Dame's-violet, dogwood, great crested grebe, green alkanet, grey heron, guelder rose, hemlock, hop, marsh thistle, milk-parsley, Mute Swan, Norfolk, Ragged Robin, River Yare, RSPB reserve, southern marsh-orchid, Strumpshaw Fen, the Broads, wild flowers, yellow water-lily, Yorkshire Fog

It was our 22nd wedding anniversary in June and instead of buying each other gifts we usually plan a day out that we will both enjoy.  We chose to visit Strumpshaw Fen  which is situated in the Broads.

p1000488pond

Pond at Strumpshaw Fen

We had hoped to see all sorts of birds here and I had set my heart on finding a Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio machaon), as the Broads is the only place in the British Isles where they can be found.

p1000494strumpshaw-fen

Fenland

As was the case with many of our ventures last year, we didn’t have as successful a visit as we had hoped because the weather was miserable.  It was cold, wet and windy – not a day for viewing rare butterflies or the Norfolk Hawker dragonfly or any of the birds we had hoped to see.   However, we persevered with our walk round the reserve and saw a few things of interest.

p1000496strumpshaw-fen

A broad

p1000499fish

Small fry – baby fish in the broad

p1000501dogwood

Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) in flower

p1000502strumpshaw-fen

A waterway in the fen

p1000503yellow-water-lily-001

Yellow Water-lily (Nuphar lutea)

The flowers are much smaller than White Waterlily flowers being only 6 cm/2.5 ins across and are alcohol-scented apparently!

p1000506mute-swans

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) with cygnets

p1000507common-valerian

Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) You can just see the pink flower-heads!

p1000508river-yare

The River Yare

p1000510hemlock

This might be Milk-parsley (Peucedanum palustre) the food plant of the Swallowtail caterpillar.

It might also be Hemlock! (Conium maculatum) They are both described as hairless biennials with purple-blotched stems.  Hemlock’s stems are hollow and purple-blotched and Milk-parsley has ridged stems that are often blotched purple!

p1000511hemlock

Ridged purple-blotched stems?  I can’t decide!

p1000512hemlock

More purple-blotched stems.

p1000513hop

Hop (Humulus lupulus)

p1000515dames-violet

Dame’s-violet (Hesperis matronalis)

p1000519guelder-rose

Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus)

p1000521common-meadow-rue

Common Meadow-rue (Thalictrum flavum)

p1000524southern-marsh-orchid

Southern Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa)

p1000526ragged-robin

Ragged-robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)

p1000530marsh-thistle

Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre)

p1000531yorkshire-fog

A meadow full of Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus)

The flower-heads of this grass are red-tipped and gave the meadow a pink glow!

Part of our walk was along Tinker’s Lane

p1000533tinkers-ln

Tinker’s Lane – looking back the way we’d come

p1000534tinkers-lane

Tinker’s Lane – looking ahead. Elinor is the figure in the far distance

p1000536green-alkanet

Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens)

p1000537common-twayblade

Not a good photo of Common Twayblade (Neottia ovata) Though ‘common’ I had never seen this orchid before and was very pleased.

p1000538common-twayblade

Common Twayblade

p1000542grey-heron

a Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) that refused to look my way!

p1000544great-crested-grebe

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

We enjoyed our walk round the fen and were pleased with the amount of interesting plants we had seen.  I would like to return there this summer if possible to see the butterflies, dragonflies and birds we had intended seeing last year!

Thanks for visiting!

 

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Highlights Part 2

10 Sat Dec 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in Gardening, Insects, music, plants, Rural Diary, seashore, weather, wild birds, wild flowers

≈ 75 Comments

Tags

'Something in the Way She Moves', alderfly, azure damselfly, cactus flowers, communal mining bee, Early Purple Orchid, echinopsis oxygona, Four-spotted Chaser, greenfinch, highlights, Jacob sheep, lambs, oedemera nobilis, pond water-crowfoot, red campion, Robin, Southwold, Suffolk, The Beatles, the moon, The Saints Benefice in north Suffolk, the sea, thrift

The weather in May was changeable; cold, wet and windy for a few days then a couple of days of warmth and sunshine then back to cool and damp.  The beginning of June wasn’t much different.

These first photos were taken towards the end of May in our garden or within a short walk of home.

p1000277pond-water-crowfoot

Pond Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus peltatus) has two sorts of leaves; the submerged leaves are thread-like but the floating leaves have rounded lobes. I found this plant in the pond at the front of the house. It is a relative of the buttercup and appeared here for the first time this year.

p1000320alder-fly-001

Alderfly (Sialis lutaria) In this country we have just three species of alderfly and they are virtually indistinguishable from each other. One (this one I believe) favours still or slow-moving water and the other two prefer running water.

Adult alderflies are weak-flying insects and never move far away from water.  The two or three weeks they spend as an adult are almost entirely taken up with looking for a mate.  Most don’t bother feeding but some may nibble a little pollen or algae if they are in need of sustenance.

Mining bee
Mining bee
Mining bee
Mining bee

I think this Mining bee is a Communal mining bee (Andrena scotica).  The females share a tunnel entrance but have separate nests underground.  They prefer slightly open ground and so are often found near paths.  I discovered this one while I was weeding and I think I had probably disturbed her nest.  She was making a lot of noise; I am sure she was very cross!

p1000330robin-001

I was being helped in my task by a friendly Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

ooOOoo

Richard had noticed some orchids on the grass verge of a lane near us so we set off to walk to where they were growing.  I took a couple of photos on the way.

p1000333red-campion

Lots of Red Campion (Silene dioica)

p1000343greenfinch

A Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris). I had to zoom as far as my camera was capable to enable me to get this rather grainy shot.

p1000345early-purple-orchid

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula)

p1000346early-purple-orchid

Early Purple Orchid

p1000349early-purple-orchid

Early Purple Orchid

p1000367jacob-sheep

We walked past a field full of Jacob sheep on the way back home

p1000368jacob-sheep

They are more like goats than sheep and the lambs are very endearing and inquisitive.

ooOOoo

At the very end of May we visited one of our local seaside resorts, Southwold, on a very cool and windy day.

p1000371southwold

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!

p1000386southwold

The sea was rough…

p1000387southwold

…but this couple were happy to be there watching the waves together. Note how well wrapped up they were!

p1000375southwold

I like this weather vane on top of the Southwold Sailor’s Reading Room

p1000377southwold

These flowers caught my eye

p1000378southwold

Thrift (Armeria maritima)

ooOOoo

Within a day or so of our trip to Southwold the sun came out again and I was able to find insects to photograph.

p1000392damselfly

Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)

img_2756damselflies

Male and female Azure damselflies

img_2766dragonfly-001

Male Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly (Libellula quadrimaculata)

My field guide says these dragonflies are rather dull but I don’t find them so.

p1000468oedemera-nobilis

Male Oedemera nobilis.  A beetle that feeds on pollen; only the males have the swollen hind-legs.

ooOOoo

Just a few photos I took towards the middle of June.

p1000475cactus-flowers

Beautifully scented cactus flowers – Echinopsis oxygona

p1000485moon

The moon

And finally a slideshow of a field of Common Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) I saw from the road at Ilketshall St. John this summer.  I wished I could get closer to it!  I think you may also appreciate this link.  It is a wonderful description of where I live and also has praise in it for our Rector who will be retiring next August.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My music today is from the Beatles.  Many of you will know why I have chosen this today (though I am a couple of days late as usual!).  I was a student living in Liverpool at the time and heard the news of John’s death as I made my toast for breakfast on the 9th of December.  Thirty-six years ago!  I was surprised later to hear he had been shot on the 8th of December but I had forgotten the time difference.  Listen to the superbly melodic bass playing!

Thanks for visiting!

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Highlights from 2016 – Spring

27 Sun Nov 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in art, Days out, music, plants, Rural Diary, Uncategorized, wild flowers

≈ 58 Comments

Tags

bluebells, flour, mill, mill pond, Minsmere, Pakenham Watermill, sculpture, The Albert Memorial, The Royal Albert Hall, The Victoria and Albert Museum, This is How it Feels Inspiral Carpets, wedding, wild flowers

This, as promised in my previous post, is the first of my ‘highlight’ posts in which I will let you know some of the things we managed to do this year and will provide photos and links when and where necessary.

Just after Easter we went to the wedding of my dear friend Wendy and her husband John’s daughter Jennifer to her fiancé David.  The wedding took place in the lovely church of St David in the village of Groes Faen in south Wales.  We were delighted to be included in their family celebration, just as we had been when Jen’s older sister Vicky (my God-daughter) was married a few years ago.  The reception was at the Pencoed House Estate, a beautiful manor house in lovely grounds.  I was fortunate to be seated next to Wendy’s mother-in-law, Rene; she and her late husband Don had been so kind to me and Alice when my first marriage broke up.  I was so sorry to hear that she died just a few weeks ago.  I had been unable to take any photos at the wedding so was very pleased to receive a thank-you card from Jen and David which had photos from their wedding on it.  I have scanned it and chosen one of the photos but it hasn’t come out very well.

scan_20161124-2

ooOOoo

This next gallery of photos is just a reminder of what we have to look forward to in the  spring!

Bluebell wood
Bluebell wood
Bluebell wood
Bluebell wood
Bluebell wood
Bluebell wood

I love bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) so I took a little detour on my way home from my mother’s house at the beginning of May so that I could see the flowers just outside the village of Withersdale Street.

ooOOoo

I have mentioned Pakenham Watermill before in my blog.  It is where we go to buy the best wholemeal flour which I use to make bread.

p1000225pakenham-mill

Pakenham Watermill

p1000215pakenham-mill

The rear of the building.  We visited on a perfect morning in May.

p1000213pakenham-mill

The mill with mill-pond

p1000216pakenham-mill

There are lots of House martin (Delichon urbica) nests under the eaves

p1000209sculpture-at-pakenham-mill

Bird sculpture in the garden

p1000211pakenham

The mill pond

ooOOoo

At about this time I visited Minsmere RSPB Reserve as I wanted to buy something from their shop.  While I was there I thought I would quickly walk through the woods to see what I could see.

p1000226bluebells-at-minsmere

Bluebells again!

Bluebells
Bluebells
Blue bluebells and white bluebells!
Blue bluebells and white bluebells!
p1000227minsmere-common-vetch

Common vetch (Vicia sativa)

p1000229minsmere-common-storks-bill

Common stork’s-bill (Erodium cicutarium)

I don’t remember ever having seen this flower before despite it being ‘common’.  The seed-heads can be seen next to the flowers and their shape gives the plant it’s name.

p1000233minsmere-changing-forget-me-not

Changing forget-me-not (Myosotis discolor)

The flowers are tiny and very difficult to photograph.  When they first open they are yellow but soon change to blue.  The plant especially likes to grow on sandy soil.

p1000232minsmere-shepherds-cress

Shepherd’s-cress (Teesdalia nudicaulis)

This is another plant I don’t remember having noticed before, but that is not surprising because it is very low growing and not especially exciting to look at.  You can see a wood-ant (10 mm long) towards the bottom right of the photo which gives you some idea of the size of the flowers which are about 2 mm across – two of the four petals of the flower are longer than the other two.  The seeds are heart-shaped and a few can be seen at the top of the photo.  The leaves in the basal rosette are lobed and can also be seen at the top-centre.  Their shape reminds me of pasta servers.

p1000234minsmere-common-sorrel

Common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) creating red patches on the rising ground. Gorse (Ulex europaeus) can be seen flowering in the bushes on the sky-line.

p1000236minsmere-wavy-bitter-cress

Wavy bitter-cress (Cardamine flexuosa) – so-called because it’s stem is wavy rather than straight!

p1000238minsmere

Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum)

Rhododendron has naturalised and become invasive in many places.  It is unwelcome as it reduces biodiversity and is very difficult to eradicate because it produces new shoots from its roots.  This link speaks more about the plant.

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Bugloss (Anchusa arvensis)

This plant is very hairy and has interesting wavy-edged leaves.  The flowers are a lovely intense blue colour.

ooOOoo

Elinor wasn’t able to join her art and design group on their trip to London in April so a few weeks later Richard and I took her there ourselves.  We visited the Victoria and Albert Museum and Elinor chose to study the exhibits in the cast works gallery and the sculpture galleries.

Trajan's column - lower

Trajan’s column – lower

Trajan's column - upper

Trajan’s column – upper

Someone took a plaster-cast of the whole of Trajan’s column!  The column is 30 m / 98 ft tall (with the pedestal it is 35 m / 115 ft tall).  Its diameter is 37 m / 12.1 ft.  This cast is now invaluable to scholars because the original column has become very weathered and the figures cannot easily be studied.

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I love this medieval carving from Germany! The details of the knight’s journey are exquisitely worked. There are trees, people and small creatures, buildings, a dragon and a princess to be rescued! It was difficult to get a decent photo because of the reflections off the glass case.  I also forgot to make a note of the artist and couldn’t find the piece when I went on the museum’s website.

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‘A Bishop Saint’ by Sir Alfred Gilbert 1899.  This bishop’s gentle expression appealed to me very much.

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‘The Virgin with the Laughing Child’ probably by Antonio Rossellino ca. 1465.  I could look at this statuette for ever! It is so intimate and loving! Look at the way the mother is holding her little boy on her knee with his leg between her forefinger and middle finger, her other hand on his tummy and his hand on hers.

After leaving the museum we decided to walk to Hyde Park and relax there for a short time before catching our train home.

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The Royal Albert Hall – a beautiful building and an excellent concert hall

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Opposite the Royal Albert Hall is the Albert Memorial

ooOOoo

That’s it for the time being!  I will leave you with my music choice, ‘This Is How It Feels’ by Inspiral Carpets, remembering Craig Gill (drums) who died on Tuesday 22 November 2016

Thanks for visiting!

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The Cat and Fiddle

25 Tue Oct 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, holidays, plants, Rural Diary, walking, wild flowers

≈ 70 Comments

Tags

Bird's-foot Trefoil, Cat and Fiddle pass, Cat and Fiddle pub, Cladonia pleurota, Common Cottongrass, Common Hawker dragonfly, common knapweed, common ragwort, conifer plantation, Crosswort, Derbyshire Bridge car park, driven grouse shooting, eyebright, Goyt Valley, harebell, Harlequin ladybird, heath bedstraw, heather, Kestrel, Knotted Pearlwort, Lesser Stitchwort, Lousewort, Meadow Crane's-bill, milestone, Mountain Pansy, old coach road, Peak District, River Goyt, Shining Tor, Sneezewort, tormentil, Upright Hedge Parsley, walking, yarrow

On the third day of our stay in the Peak District we decided on a slightly longer walk than usual and took a picnic with us.  We drove towards Buxton but just before entering the town we took the A54 road off to the right and then a minor road off that road and parked the car in the Derbyshire Bridge car park.  This is a pleasant spot and is used as a picnic area.

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A ladybird on our rather dusty windscreen

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A Ladybird larva on the car.

Unfortunately, both ladybird and larva are Harlequin Ladybirds which have now outstayed their welcome in this country.  I wish that those in authority were more wary about using introduced insects to control other insects.

We were delayed at the beginning of our walk by the car beeping an alarm whenever we tried locking the doors.  After disturbing a couple who were having a picnic with their little grandson we decided that we ought to look at the car’s manual.  We found that the car was telling us that we were locking the spare key inside the car and that it would rather we didn’t.  I took the key out of my handbag which I had left in the boot and we were then able to start our walk.

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The first part of the walk was along a path beside the infant River Goyt.

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I saw this Common Hawker dragonfly (Aeshna juncea). It was typically wary and didn’t settle where I could get a good photo of it.  Only its head and wings and a little part of its thorax/abdomen can be seen here.

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Upright Hedge Parsley (Torilis japonica)

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The Goyt was running along merrily

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Lesser Stitchwort (Stellaria graminea)

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Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and Upright Hedge Parsley

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A bridge across the water

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A view of the surrounding moorland

This is a typical sight in moorland where driven grouse shooting takes place.  The patches on the hillside show where the heather has been burned to promote new growth shoots for the grouse to feed on.   I have recently signed a petition to have this sport banned as I think that instead of conserving wildlife these estates try to eradicate any creatures that may be a threat to their grouse.  All raptors, including the scarce Hen Harrier and Golden Eagles are considered a threat and are regularly shot or poisoned illegally by some, not all, gamekeepers employed on some of these estates.  In Scotland hundreds of thousands of Mountain Hare are culled every year.  I’ve signed another petition about this too!  I feel very strongly about this as you no doubt have realised.

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The Heather (Calluna vulgaris) was in full bloom

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The path across the moor

At this point we turned onto another path which rose up towards a plantation.  We entered the forest through a gate.

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The forest path

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Inside the forest were walls and the remains of buildings

This reminded me of the stone walls that Allen from New Hampshire Garden Solutions  finds in his local forest.  In this case the land that was originally farmed for sheep was subsequently acquired by a company or organisation that planted conifers but didn’t bother dismantling the walls.

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A weir we found halfway through the plantation

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Richard on the bridge over the river

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The simple bridge

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The barrier just up-stream from the bridge and weir

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Lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica)

This was a flower I had never seen before.  It is very small and the leaves are tiny!  It is semi-parasitic on other plants’ roots.

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We could see one of the local reservoirs from the path that went up by the side of the plantation.

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Our path….

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…. got rougher and steeper

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I think this lichen may be Cladonia pleurota

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Heath Bedstraw (Galium saxatile)

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I cannot identify this tiny bug. It marched purposefully across this rather bleak landscape.

The three photos above were taken while we rested and ate our lunch.  This last part of the walk I found exhausting as it was a continuous uphill climb and on very uneven and rough paths with large, loose rocks to walk over.

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This is the view I saw when I looked up from my seat on a rock

The weather was cloudier and cooler than earlier in the week.  We were glad of this!

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There was still plenty of late Common Cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium) in amongst the Heather

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This might be a slime mould but I am not sure!

View from the path
View from the path
View from the path
View from the path
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A Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) hovering high up in the sky

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A veritable garden of lichen and moss on top of a stone wall.  It’s a pity the photo isn’t any clearer.

Shining Tor from a distance
Shining Tor from a distance
Shining Tor close up
Shining Tor close up

We had thought we might go up Shining Tor but we changed our minds when we had got to the top of the stony path.  We were too tired.  Why is it called ‘Shining Tor’?  I don’t know.

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This is another view from where we were standing.

The visibility wasn’t great and the distant hills were lost in haze but the sky above us was clear and blue now.  We began to descend towards the Cat and Fiddle pass (I expect you were wondering why this post was called Cat and Fiddle) and the Cat and Fiddle pub.

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An out of focus photo of a wild pansy growing next to the path. I think it may be a Mountain Pansy (Viola lutea)

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More pansies

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and even more pansies!

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Just one more!

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I eventually looked up and noticed the view. The road you see in the middle distance is the Cat and Fiddle Pass.

Harebells ( Campanula rotundifolia)
Harebells ( Campanula rotundifolia)
Tormentil (Potentilla erecta)
Tormentil (Potentilla erecta)
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The Cat and Fiddle pub (on the right of the photo)

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I saw more Cottongrass next to the path but this was definitely past its best!

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I then saw an interesting-looking stone just to the left of the path

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On closer examination I found it was an old mile-stone and realised that the path we had been walking on since Shining Tor was part of the old coach road.

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I looked at the path and saw that it looked very much like an old road. Richard is ahead of me here as usual and is near where the path joins the new busy road.

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I found a very late orchid in the grass. It was faded and I couldn’t identify it.

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We were disappointed to discover that the pub was shut and we weren’t to get a drink after all.

It does seem sad that the place that the pass was named after should be shut and empty.  We walked past the pub.  Through the windows we could see everything had been left as it was on the day it had shut months before.  There was even a menu board extolling the virtues of a meat pie!

We soon turned off the main road onto a narrow road that would eventually bring us back to the carpark.  I saw many different plants on the way.

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Meadow Crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense)

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Lots more Common Cotton Grass

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Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) and Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

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Yet another poor photo I’m afraid! This is another flower I had never seen before – Knotted Pearlwort (Sagina nodosa)

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A very pink Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

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Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)

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Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis agg.)

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Crosswort (Cruciata laevipes)

We found the car, drove back to our caravan and made ourselves a nice cup of tea.  We were quite tired after our long walk and found it difficult to stay awake.  We had arranged to have lunch with my brother-in-law the next day so Richard booked a table at a local restaurant and phoned his brother to let him know when and where we were to meet each other.

To be continued….

Thanks for visiting!

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Peveril Castle

09 Sun Oct 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, holidays, plants, Rural Diary, wild flowers

≈ 52 Comments

Tags

Castleton, courtyard, English Heritage, harebells, maidenhair spleenwort, Mam Tor, Peak District, Peveril Castle, ruins, the keep, views, wild marjoram

The day following our walk at Ilam we had arranged to meet Alice and Elinor at Castleton in Derbyshire.

Castleton is a pretty village and a great place to stay if you want to walk in the hills or visit the mines.  For some years we stayed at a site just outside the village every Whitsun half-term holiday but gave up eventually because we got tired of the crowds of people everywhere.  Looking at the numbers of visitors when we went there this August, it seems that there are fewer visitors in the later summer than earlier in the year.

Alice and Elinor took the bus from Sheffield and arrived ten minutes before us.  We had got delayed by having to make a detour round an accident on the Leek to Buxton road.  We met them in a pub and decided to stay there and have some lunch.

After lunch we wandered through the village and noted all the changes made since we had last visited.  We all agreed that it would be good to climb up to Peveril Castle.  I didn’t manage to take any pictures on my ascent to the castle.  I found it much more tiring than I remembered and in retrospect maybe I shouldn’t have had quite so much for my lunch!  The path zig-zags up the steep climb from Castleton and we got very hot in the bright sunshine.  Alice sped up the path before us; she lives in a very hilly city and is used to walking everywhere.  Eventually we got to the entrance to the castle which is through the remains of one of the gatehouses built in the 12th century.  We then entered the main courtyard of the castle which is now a large lawn.  Originally this space had many buildings in it; a great hall, a kitchen, perhaps guest halls, servants and retainers homes,  store sheds, stables and the like.  It is possible to see the outline of some of these long-demolished buildings.

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The keep at Peveril Castle with the steep lawn which is all that is left of the castle.

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Looking down the courtyard to the remains of the curtain wall and beyond to the surrounding Peak District hills.  Mam Tor is the peak to the left of centre.

The curtain wall which surrounded the courtyard was constructed early on in Norman times.  It was built by the Peverils and apparently includes Roman tiles probably taken from the ruins of the Roman fort at Navio (Brough).

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The curtain wall and gatehouse.

William the Conqueror’s supposedly illegitimate son William Peverel was a great favourite with the Conqueror and after the conquest he was granted the Royal Manors of the Peak.  In this way he became the administrator of the Royal Forest of the Peak in Castleton on behalf of the Conqueror.  He built a castle in 1080 on this site which is naturally strategically strong; it is quite difficult to get to and also easy to defend.  It was originally built of wood but after some years it was thought expedient to replace it with a stone structure and this was done in about 1175 and the remains of this later building is what is seen today.

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Looking over the curtain wall to Castleton below

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One of the views from the courtyard

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An information board at the castle

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Mam Tor

 

 

Castleton
Castleton
Castleton
Castleton
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The entrance to the Keep

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The Keep

The Keep was originally 60′ high and was faced with fine gritstone blocks.  These can still be seen on the south and east sides of the building.  You can see them at the top of the Keep and around the lower window in the photo above.

p1010100pev-castle

Harebells (Campanua rotundifolia) and what looks like Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) growing in the courtyard.  There are a couple of other plants here that I can’t ID.  I wish I had looked more carefully at the time!

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Looking down into Cavedale at the rear of the castle. Originally the approach to the castle was from this side with a bridge across a moat.

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Cavedale

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Inside the Keep

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Inside the Keep

When the castle was rebuilt in stone in 1175/6 this Keep with round-headed windows was added.  The Keep was never meant to be lived in but was the administrative centre of the castle and would have been a place of refuge if ever the curtain wall was breached.

p1010109pev-castle

A drawing of what the Keep was thought to look like when it was built

In the 17th century the castle was considered too uncomfortable to live in and all the apartments except the Keep were demolished.  The Keep was retained to serve as a courthouse.  From then on until the early 19th century the place was left unoccupied and it quickly deteriorated.  Repairs and reconstruction work was carried out by the Duchy of Lancaster in the early 1800s who retained the castle until it was taken on by English Heritage.

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Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)

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More Wild Marjoram

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A model showing what the castle was supposed to look like when newly built

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From another angle

We spent a most enjoyable afternoon together.  Eventually it was time for the girls to catch their bus back to Sheffield.  Richard and I then drove back to Leek, stopping briefly just outside Castleton at the top of Whinnat’s Pass to take the following photograph.

p1010127speedwell-cavern

The entrance to Speedwell Cavern 

Thanks for visiting!

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Peak District Holiday 2016

07 Fri Oct 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, holidays, plants, Rural Diary, trees, walking, wild flowers

≈ 48 Comments

Tags

annual meadow-grass, Betony, bull, calves, cows, Devil's-bit Scabious, enchanter's nightshade, eyebright, flowers, former industrial landscape, garlic mustard, grasses, greater plantain, harebell, hart's-tongue fern, Hawthorn, Ilam Country Park, Ilam Cross, Ilam Hall, Ilam village, industrial landscape, lamb, Lesser Burdock, Maidenhair Pleenwort, Paradise Walk, Peak District, power station, Rabbit, River Manifold, rowan, Sheep's Fescue, Small Teasel, stile, The Battle Stone, tormentil, unimproved grassland, wind farm

Richard and I had a weeks holiday in the Peak District during August and stayed in our caravan as usual and at a favourite site.  We travelled on the 15th taking Elinor with us and once we had set up the caravan and had had a short rest we then drove to Sheffield as Elinor would be staying the week with Alice.  We had a cup of tea, a nice chat with Alice and Richard met Mona, Alice’s cat for the first time.

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This is Mona

Richard and I then returned to our caravan near Leek in Staffordshire calling in at the supermarket on the way where we bought enough food to keep us going for most of the week.  We couldn’t find anywhere to buy a take-away meal so we heated up a ready-made lasagna in the oven and had a very late but tasty dinner.

The weather forecast was for four days of good weather followed by cooler rainy weather so we thought we’d do as much walking in the dry at the beginning of the week as we could.  Our first full day was also Richard’s birthday and we decided to have lunch at the White Hart in Leek where we know we can get very nice Staffordshire oatcakes filled with cheese and bacon or cheese and sausage.  Before going in to Leek we had to put the awning up on the caravan.  An awning (for those who don’t know) is a tent, shelter or canopy which is attached to the side of a caravan which provides a little extra space to live in.  We find ours very useful, especially in wet weather as we can keep our soggy shoes and coats out there.

After lunch we tried to find a wood I wanted to walk in but we had great difficulty following the directions to it.  In the end we gave up and went to Ilam Park and walked from there.

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Ilam Hall which is now a Youth Hostel

From the carpark we walked towards the remains of the hall and through the archway to the other side of the building.

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The gardens at Ilam

The gardens are very attractive and have places to sit and admire the scenery.  We made our way through the pleasure grounds, the path descending towards the River Manifold.

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Hart’s-tongue Fern (Phyllitis scolopendrium) and Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) decorate the wall behind the handrail.

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The underside of the leaves of the Hart’s tongue Fern have stripes of spore sacs.

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Looking down through the trees to the River Manifold

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Looking back up the steps we had just come down.

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The water in the river is very clear.

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Interesting rock formations can be seen down by the river.

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A profusion of Enchanter’s-nightshade (Circaea lutetiana)

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The view across water meadows from ‘Paradise Walk’

Paradise Walk is a Lime tree avenue where, in its heyday, the owners of the hall and their guests could walk and talk and admire the parkland.

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The Battle Stone

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The description of the Battle Stone

This cross shaft, known as the ‘Battle Stone’ has been set in a little enclosure at the side of the Paradise Walk.  It is strange to us to find that people in former times were happy to use any material they found to build their houses, even part of a cross!

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We were advised not to use this bridge to cross the river.

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Small Teasel (Dipsacus pilosus) growing with Lesser Burdock (Arctium minus)

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Small Teasel

This was the first time I had ever seen this plant and it took me some time to ID it.   My photograph isn’t the best and I wasn’t too sure where to start my search.  The plant is often found on damp, disturbed ground near woodland edges and near streams and rivers.

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Lesser Burdock

We went over the river at the next bridge and then crossed a meadow the ascent of which gradually got steeper.

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Cow and calves

The calves were a little curious but the cow continued calling to them and they stayed with her.

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Bull and cows

At the top of the field was a bull and a couple of cows.  Fortunately, they were more interested in eating than in us because we were quite puffed by the time we had got to the top of the field and I don’t think we could have run anywhere!

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The next field was even steeper and the grass was dry and shiny.

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There were flowers everywhere! Tormentil (Potentilla erecta) (the yellow flowers) and Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)

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Betony (Stachys officinalis)

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Devil’s-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) and Harebells

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Devil’s-bit Scabious and Tormentil

I’m afraid the photos got more out of focus the further up the hill I got.  It was all I could do to keep my footing.

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Betony and grasses

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Annual Meadow Grass (Poa annua)

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The view from the top of the hill

We were glad to get to the top and catch our breath.  There was still rising ground to cover but the really steep bit was finished with.

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I think this grass is Sheep’s Fescue (Festuca ovina) It caught my eye because the seedheads were shining in the sunlight.

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Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis agg.)

Eyebright is slowly becoming rarer because it is semi-parasitic on the roots of other plants and will only grow in undisturbed grass land.  There is very little undisturbed grassland in this country.

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Another shot of the same view but from further up the hill

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I love this rather untidy scene

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Through the gateway

Both pictures are typical of cattle-farming country.  The well-trampled area next to the gateway and water-trough which in wet weather is extremely squelchy.  The bank of nettles beyond the trough…

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A hedge in this part of the world is a rare thing

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A view of Ilam village below us

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A weathered Hawthorn tree (Crataegus monogyna)

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I like the stand of trees on the crest of the next hill

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I used the zoom on my camera to photograph a wind farm on the horizon

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A different source of electricity. This may be Willington power station or maybe Rugeley? I know both these places have/had 5 cooling towers and my camera has quite a powerful zoom. I would be interested to know which station this is.

This is the interesting thing about the Peak District.  The whole area has been industrial at some period in its history.  We may be out on the moors and seemingly miles from anywhere but industry or the effects of industry surround us.

We began the descent towards Ilam village.

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Grasses and flowers

This may look like a rather uninteresting patch of grass with a few flowers in it.  However, in this approximately 40cm x 40cm piece of land there are at least three different types of grass and more than six different flowering plants, not all in flower.  True diversity!

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Having had cows, calves and a bull on this post we had to have a lamb too. Look at those ears! Richard called him/her ‘Wingnut’!

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One of the many stiles we clambered over that afternoon

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The path across the meadow

The path was much clearer in real life than in my photograph.  An indentation in the soil; the grass growing differently on the path and the light reflecting off it in a different way making it look lighter, sometimes darker than the surrounding grass.  I’m sure it would be more obvious at sunset or sunrise or with a dusting of snow on it.

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A Rowan tree (Sorbus aucuparia)

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Another stile. This time a squash stile’; my favourite (I don’t think!)

We had descended to the valley again and entered Blore Pastures Wood by the stile.

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A brown lamb in the late afternoon sun

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I was surprised to see Jack-by-the-Hedge/Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) in flower this late in the year

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Greater Plantain (Plantago major)

We saw this enormous plantain next to the road as we approached Ilam.

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Ilam Cross, built by Jesse Watts-Russell (who also built Ilam Hall) in memory of his wife.

The cross was badly damaged in a storm some years ago but has recently been completely restored.

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A plaque with all the information about the cross

The village was full of people enjoying the evening sunshine.  I had hoped to photograph the houses and the bridge but there were too many people in the way.

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A Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) seen on our way back to the carpark

A most enjoyable walk in glorious sunshine.

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

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In My Garden Again

28 Wed Sep 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in Gardening, Insects, music, plants, Rural Diary, trees, wild animals, wild flowers

≈ 75 Comments

Tags

bird's nest, Brown Hare, Brown Hawker dragonfly, comma butterfly, Common Fleabane, Common Hawthorn berries, cooking apples, Crabapples, Creeping Thistle, Fish-hook Cactus, garden, hogweed, Hornet, Hoverfly, leveret, mole hill, moonrise, pears, speckled wood butterfly, Suffolk, sunset, Sweet Pepper, Water Mint, Zinnia

This is another collection of things I’ve seen in my garden or near my home during the past month.  The weather until a few days ago has been wonderful!  Warm, sometimes very hot, mainly dry and sunny; it has been a lovely late summer.

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Flower on Richard’s Fish-hook Cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni)

This cactus nearly flowered for the first time two years ago but the warm, sunny weather didn’t last long enough and the buds shrivelled.  Last year was too dull and cool so no buds formed at all.  This year however, one of the three buds opened and stayed open for three days.

p1010239sweet-peppers

Sweet pepper ‘Sweet Banana’

Richard is growing sweet peppers this year and this is a photo of them when they were just starting to turn red.  Unfortunately, the camera focused on the leaf not the pepper.

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Zinnia flower

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Zinnia flower-bud

Richard bought a tray of Zinnia flowers from the garden centre.  They took their time to get established but eventually they got going and have been so bright and cheerful for the past month.

p1010245fleabane

Common Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenteria) has been everywhere I’ve looked this summer but this poor shot is the only photo of it I’ve taken.

For centuries, the leaves of Fleabane were hung in bunches from ceilings or dried and burnt as a fumigant to repel fleas.  Richard Mabey in his ‘Flora Britannica’ says the plant is a relative of the species which supplies the insecticide ‘pyrethrum’.

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Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) seed-heads

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Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria)

This is a woodland butterfly and its markings make it difficult to spot in dappled shade.

p1010253comma

A Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album) on Water Mint (Mentha aquatica)

p1010248hoverfly-on-creeping-thistle

Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense) with a Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus) on the lowest flowerhead

p1010296crabapples

The crabapples on our species crabapple tree look like cherries. Woodpigeons are very fond of them.

p1010298biffin

We don’t have many apples this year. This one looks very good – a cooking apple.

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We have what looks like a good crop of pears but sadly many of the fruits are rotting on the tree.

p1010304haws

Common Hawthorn berries, known as Haws. (Crataegus monogyna)

The Hawthorns are full of fruit; some people say this means we are to have a hard winter.  I think it means we had good pollination in the spring.

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A female Brown Hawker dragonfly (Aeshna grandis)

I took this photo in a hurry as Brown Hawkers are such restless dragonflies and only perch for a few seconds.  I love their amber wings!

p1010324hornet

Another poor photo, this time of a Hornet (Vespa crabro)

We have had a Hornets’ nest under the tiles of the garage roof this summer.  They are busy insects and carry on flying until well after sunset, unlike wasps who retire early.  We have also got a wasps’ nest under the house roof tiles near our bedroom window.  I could hear them chewing and munching away through the night when they were first constructing the nest in the early summer.

p1010330mole

This is a mole hill that appeared in the rather dry border next to the conservatory. The hill got bigger the following day and many spring bulbs were uprooted.

We haven’t had much rain during the past month and the moles are searching for worms.  The worms congregate where there is moisture i.e. in flower-beds (if they are watered) or next to paths or buildings where water runs off into the soil.

p1010326sunset

Sunset

p1010327sunset

Sunset

p1010328sunset

Sunset

p1010329sunset

Sunset with mist

And shortly afterwards on the same evening…..

p1010332moon

Moonrise

p1010333moon

Moonrise

We were pleased to welcome a new visitor to our garden; a Leveret, a young Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We first noticed it when it was very close to our kitchen window so you see part of the window frame in my photos!  It then moved a little further away and was easier to photograph.

The best time of day to see hares is early morning or at dusk, as during the day they rest in grass, scrubland or in a ploughed furrow.  They crouch low against the ground with their ears laid flat and are well camouflaged.  If they are disturbed they are capable of running very fast – 35 mph/56kph – and run with their black-topped tail held downwards.  They have large staring eyes, large black-tipped ears and powerful hind legs; they are shy and alert creatures.  They typically live in open country, preferring not to live in direct contact with grazing animals and they are unlikely to be found in hayfields.  They eat a wide selection of grasses and plants of open country as well as crops of cereal, clover, alfalfa, beets and potatoes.  In winter a hare will dig for green plants under the snow and will eat buds and bark from bushes and trees, including fruit trees.  They have suffered in areas of intensive farming and where herbicides are regularly used.  Pesticides contaminate their food and may kill leverets.

In March and April hares can be seen leaping and chasing about which gives rise to the saying ‘mad, March Hares’.   They often stand up on their hind legs and box each other; this may be two males vying for social dominance or, as is now thought more likely, a female (Jill) rebuffing a male (Jack).   Leverets are born in the open with a full coat of fur and with their eyes open.  They are born in litters of about three and the mother moves them immediately to another safe place which makes it more difficult for predators to find them.  Each leveret is placed in a ‘form’ – a depression made in long grass – on its own where it lies low waiting for visits from its mother.  This behaviour is very like that of deer.

While watering my green beans the other day I noticed some tiny white eggshells lying on the ground and wondered where they could have come from.  Richard looked into the branches of the Laburnum tree above us and saw a tiny nest that I hadn’t been able to see – (I am quite a lot shorter than he is).  It was a windy day and the pieces of shell must have been dislodged by the breeze.  A week later I found the nest on the ground and here is my photograph of it.

p1010346-nest

I do not know what bird built this nest.

As you can see from the photo it is only 11 cm long and about 6 cm wide.  It is made of tiny twigs, grasses, leaves and moss all woven together and is lined with sheep’s wool and white feathers.

And finally, here is my music selection for this post.

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I talk about what it's like living in a quiet part of Suffolk. I am a wife, mother and daughter, a practising Christian and love the natural world that surrounds me. I enjoy my life - most of the time!

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