The nature reserve behind the cottage is looking and sounding amazing this July, the rain has helped everything grow like crazy and now the sun is bringing it all to life, with vast numbers of wild flowers. Look out for masses of meadowsweet, especially near the waters’ edge, brown knapweed, vipers bluglass, yarrow, oxyeye daisies, self heal, red and white clover, ladies’ bed straw, bird’s foot trefoil, musk mallow, field scabious, ENORMOUS tall purple thistles, and equally giant shepherd’s purse. The bull rushes are gaining height and there are lots of wild raspberries too. There are masses of insects, especially butterflies, and very happy bees doing what bees to best.
The birds are singing morning, noon and night it seems, and we’ve enjoyed using the Merlin ap (from Cornell University – it’s free!) to recognise their songs and calls. We’ve heard chaffinches, bluetits, sparrows, blackbirds, meadow pippets, skylark, great tits, swallows, song thrush, curlew, wrens, and of course lots of geese, moorhen and ducks. Do beware of adder snakes, especially if you have a dog with you as they have been spotted too, even though they are shy. If you are bitten check here for what to do and make sure you get medical advice. Here are scabious, self heal, musk mallow and bird’s foot trefoil:
