Midsummer ramblings...

...inspired by the Plant Dialogues.

This is not 'my' plant - though I was tempted. The scent was, as I said, glorious. Like a musk marshmallow! Someone had brought a different Mallow to the first session so I was delighted to see one for myself.

I also saw this.

Bird's-foot-trefoil. It's rather beautiful.

I also met a lot of Field Elm.

It was growing along hedge lines. But when it reached a certain point - doom...

The one that looks green is actually sick - the leaves are dying.

It turns out that the beetle that transmits Dutch Elem disease flies twenty feet in the air and when the Elms reach that height, they are invaded. That's why we have a lot of small Elms, but few large ones.

A very senescent Oak called to me - in that one of its branches creaked and I thought I might get knocked out if it fell. That's the good thing about Oaks, they warn you.

I wanted to get to it, but couldn't - it was surrounded by a screen of nettles, then brambles, then Blackthorn. I circumnavigated the boundary and realised that there was a pond I had never seen to the left of this tree and surrounded by dense scrub.

It's in there.

Where the farmer's left set aside, a young oak was flourishing.

And an Ash was making headway.

Really, it is in there...

Along the side of this meadow were Willows.

And the meadow itself was full of Ox-eye Daisies.

Two thoughts about this. First, I hope this land gets left and they don't try to regain it for agricultural use. There are actually saplings all over it! Second, Ian told me that on the land outside Short Wood, which was agricultural and was just left, it started off as a meadow full of Ox-eye Daisies and then the shrub and trees started to take over - it's the process of succession. It would be great to see that happen here. Sadly, I doubt it.

One of the tutors brought an Ox-eye Daisy to the Plant Dialogues session - so it was good to spend time with another of the plants from the workshop.

Moving from plants to insects and I also spotted this. A Speckled Wood!