A warm spring morning – a lovely day for a parkrun – good luck to everyone taking part this morning!
It’s a wonderful time of year for flowers, with something new appearing almost every day. On the way down to the Castle, a fine display of pale yellow Primroses dapple the verge, alongside the royal blue flowers of Green Alkanet and pink Herb Robert.
The curly stems of Crow Garlic poke up out of the grass, while sticky Cleavers is starting to scramble up walls and stems.
Nearby, the white flowers and garlic-scented leaves of Three-cornered Leek are in bloom, with a large, glossy Oil Beetle Meloe proscarabeus trundling along the road alongside me.
A few Bloody-nose Beetles – huge, round and black also seen this morning, with the fluffy yellow catkins of a Sallow near the Dell attracting the attentions of Buff-tailed Bumble Bees.
On the short turf, Yellow Meadow Ants have been moving house, with many small piles of loose earth.
Guillemots and Razorbills bob on the waves, growling softly, as Fulmars whirl above them and Great Black-backed Gulls soar on broad wings. Out at sea, a Brent Goose and a few Gannets pass by, as Rock Pipits skitter along the clifftop and a pair of Jackdaws gather nesting material from the Coast Path.
A fine scent of coconut along the Diagonal Path, where a Cirl Bunting was heard in song once again.
On the Milepost Slope, the fluffy leaves of Kidney Vetch are appearing in abundance, with a few tiny Early Spider Orchids now in bloom a little further up.
Returning to the Centre, I get a pleasant reminder that Daisies do have a scent, as a gust of wind washes their perfume over me.