Before the harvest

Last time I showed you what we made with our wild garlic harvest. Before we gathered the leaves though, we walked through the woods to see what else we could find.

We passed lots of patches of wild garlic as it grows in abundance in this particular wood. In this area the flowers were yet to open.

In sunnier areas though, the flowers were in full bloom. As I was taking the photo I realised there was something else enjoying them too.

A beautiful and vibrant peacock butterfly who posed quite happily in the sunshine as it helped itself to nectar. This wasn't the only butterfly we spotted that day as there were several fluttering around...

including this Comma....

..a Speckled Wood...

...and a Cabbage White. We also saw several Orange Tips but they didn't land long enough to photograph.

I've since found out that a particular favourite of orange-tip butterflies is this garlic mustard. Next time I'll have to try sitting by a patch and hope one stops by. However, as it took Amanda 5 years of trying to get a photo, I'd better take a picnic!

Just like in the other woods nearby, we came across several patches of wood-sorrel.

And a few red campion.

There were also a few forget-me-nots.

And some ribwort.

I followed a new path downwards and into a clearing and discovered a pond with lots of iris. I didn't even know it was there so I'll definitely be back to see what else appears over the months.

This ladybird was certainly enjoying the sunshine in the clearing.

Finally, these weren't in the woods but you can never have too many photos of ducklings!

Hope you're enjoying the long bank holiday weekend if you're in the UK and the slightly shorter one if you're elsewhere. x

Easter Monday walk

It was such a lovely warm sunny day on Easter Monday that it seemed a good time to make a return visit to the local woods. I was keen to see how much had changed in the few weeks since our last visit. In particular, I was hoping for woodland flowers and I wasn't disappointed.

After seeing hardly any bluebells in the woods at Tatton, it was a relief to see large drifts of them closer to home.

There were also large patches of wood anemone.

White is such a hard colour to photograph up close but I finally found this one in a patch of shade so that I could capture the detail.

I loved how this old tree stump had been colonised by lots of different plants...

...including this pink purslane.

It's also wild garlic season and it was growing in abundance. I liked this little patch looking out over the brook.

And here it is with the flowers partially open.

We weren't alone in the woods as a pair of wizards were quietly making their way through the undergrowth, minding their own business.

More pretty flowers. This is red campion - yes, I know it's pink but I didn't make up the names!

And here's some delicate wood-sorrel.

And an even more delicate speedwell.

Last but not least, we saw our first ever squirrel in these woods. I'm sure there must be lots of them out there but they keep themselves well hidden.

I have to say that I'm no wild flower expert so if I've got any of the names wrong please let me know! I looked them up in my field guide and then cross-referenced against a wonderful web site, English wild flowers: a seasonal guide. It tells you month-by-month which flowers to look out for and has lots of pictures from different angles to help you identify them.

In other wildlife news, the first ducklings have appeared! This proud pair have produced a baker's dozen (13). We've been excitedly watching for the first brood to appear for the last week or two and I was at work when I received a text from Chickpea with the simple message 'Ducklings!!!!'. Needless to say I rushed out to have a look as soon as I got home.

I now have two whole weeks off work and am so ready for the break. Unfortunately, it seems I'm coming down with a cold which is just TYPICAL! The silver lining is that at least I should be over the worst before we go to Verona. For now though, I'm off to sit outside with a brew. Enjoy your weekend. x

Flowers, foliage and feathers

After thinking that Spring would never arrive, there's so much around to photograph at the moment that I wanted to capture and record it. Here are a few photos taken over the last couple of weeks.

This lovely tree is in a neighbour's garden, though I'm not entirely sure what it is.

Camelia in another neighbour's garden.

There's no such thing as too many cherry blossom photos at this time of year! This one was taken over the Bank Holiday weekend when we had the gorgeous weather and blue skies.

And this was taken yesterday. What a difference a week makes as all the blossoms are now in full bloom. A pity then that the weather and light hasn't been kind so that I could get a decent photo.

Lighting up another local garden was this golden berberis.

The one in my own garden is much more delicate.

These aquilegia are also in my garden and line the fence along the driveway. They're not as decorative as other aquilegia I've seen, until you look underneath.

And then you can see all the dainty, delicate beauty of the petals.

The foliage is just as lovely at the moment, all fresh and bright green. I love how alchemilla gathers raindrops into little bubbles of water.

I spotted this fern near work and could have used it for the 'curl' category in the Scavenger Hunt if I'd seen it in time.

Down by the lake there are lots of willow and I've taken so many photos it was really hard to choose. I loved the combination of the bright yellow and the blue sky in this one though.

And the fluffy buds in this one.

There's also a lot of activity on the lake at the moment. Great-Crested Grebes stop by from time to time but usually only two at the most. This spring we've had three. They don't hang around for long though and don't breed here.

There's only one swan on the lake after having nine at one point. S/he looked so beautiful lit up by the setting sun.

For the first time in many years, a pair of Moorhens are nesting. We're eagerly waiting to see if they're successful. I'll have to figure out what to call the babies by then - moorchicks?

There's not just water birds around the lake: there are several pied wagtails darting around on the shoreline.

But, of course I couldn't leave you without a duck update. This handsome chap was on my fence one morning. He and his lady friend are regular visitors at the moment and I wonder if they're the same ones who keep sitting on the roof.

Duckling sightings are increasing. This Mum had 14 fluffy bundles. I don't know whether I should tell you that a couple of days later, there were only 11.

Ducklings are lively little things!

But eventually they need to rest and have a cuddle with Mum. I was amused and delighted watching these ducklings clambering over each other, pushing their Mum this way and that trying to get under her wings. So sweet!

Looks like they're getting a little too big to fit: Mother duck can barely sit down!

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Hope you've all had a lovely weekend. It's been pretty wet here but it didn't bother us too much as our activities have been mostly inside: the theatre yesterday (a play you probably won't know 'Can't Pay, Won't Pay') and the new Star Trek movie today - both excellent. I've also started a new knitting project which I'll share at some point.

Finally, thank you all so much for the lovely, lovely comments lately - they really do make my day and make me laugh a lot of the time too! And also welcome to my new readers and followers - I'm really enjoying meeting you all. x