Great blossoms of umbelliferous flowers adorn the hedgerows, where clusters of Elderflowers mix with the towering Hogweed. My presence alerts a Meadow Pipit, which burst out from the undergrowth and disappears into the next field.
Somewhere within the scrub, a Greenfinch can be heard wheezing. Soft fresh sprigs have sprouted atop the Bramble where the flower buds swell, and the first hard green sloes grow on the Blackthorn.
I startle two Roe Deer as I enter the Copse, their reddish brown fur standing out against dark shaded understorey of brown. No sign of the Tawny Owl chick found here last week.
A mosaic of colour can be found across the meadows, though the white Ox-Eye Daisies steal the show. Look closer to spot the sunny yellows found in the Buttercups, Yellow Rattle, and Birds Foot Trefoil.
Cheery reds and pinks add to the mosaic through Red Clover, Red Bartsia, and Common Sorrel: Which dances amongst the tall grasses. More occasionally some beautiful magenta pinks can be found in the Sainfoin and Grass Vetchling. Soft blue Pale Flax and deep purple Tufted Vetch add even more colours.
Our mid-season orchids have flowered – Common Spotted and Pyramidal in abundance, but also Southern Marsh and Bee.
Fluttering across the surface; Small Heath and Common Blue butterflies. Meadow Browns also now emerged and will soon be found in an abundance rivalled only by the Marbled Whites later this month. Silver-Y Moth easily mistaken for a butterfly.
The sound of Skylark becomes more prominent the further I wander into the meadows, which Chiffchaffs chirping in every direction. A new wave of Swifts have been arriving the past couple days, about a month later than usual. Goldfinch, Wren, and Stonechat all sounding from the scrub.