June 2003 - Part 2

11th June

A couple of tiny spiders: each about 1/4" long. The one on the left - The Common Cucumber Spider  - has a luminous green abdomen, as the insert shows:

This is a photomicrograph (x400) of the pollen grains of a Daisy

This young Robin played hide and seek in the Hawthorn for a little while. It thought it was well hidden. It was wrong.

This Common Figwort has a really strong smell from all parts of the plant. It was thought to be highly medicinal.

12th June

I hate snails in my garden, but they look beautiful in the hedgerow - strange, that! This is the Brown-Lipped snail.

Bramble flowers in early June?

Here's another (much better) picture of the Navelwort bells. If someone pressed me to name my favourite wildflower, then this would be it.

(The flowers are 1/2" long at most)

Someone mentioned that I was short on trees. So here's a Sycamore.

With this Cat's Ear , you have to be there at the correct time of day. The flowers close quite early. You can just see the very hairy leaves at the bottom right of the image.

13th June

Marsh Cinquefoil is closely related to the Silverweed , yellow Cinquefoils and Tormentil:-

The Ivy has been present in many of the previous images...here it's growing with moss on a stump

This black beetle (about 1" long) crossed our path as it braved the main road.

This is a very tricky picture of a very common plant: - the Soft Rush. The pith from the stems was used as a wick for candles.

14th June

I spotted this red beetle on a Foxglove...what a colour clash.

Not exactly sure what this is...might be an Ichneumon fly

One area of the hedgerow is bounded by a bog. This is a Hair Cap moss.

And finally, the Lesser Stitchwort...a very fragile plant that uses surrounding plants for support: In this case grass and Vetchling.

15th June

Well, I've promised it long enough: the Common Spotted Orchid:-

16th June

Something new, today: a badger print. Note the claw tip prints ahead of the pads.

This is the Marsh Bedstraw - it's in the bit of bog beside the hedgerow at one point.

18th June

We've had rain separated by showers...

I think the Tutsan is worth seeing in all its stages. Now it's in bud:

These are the seed pods of the Bush Vetch. You can clearly see it's a member of the pea family.

There are the remains of a tumbledown cottage on the walk. It was last occupied around 60 years ago, so this rambling rose must be older than most visitors to this page.

This Marsh Thistle is very attractive to butterflies.

This is the Bog Stitchwort. The petals have a very interesting structure - what looks like 5 radiating petals in a star is actually 5 v-shaped petals, touching at their tips. The flowers are about 3mm across.

And lastly, the Wavy Bittercress

19th June

The flower of the Figwort is quite orchid-like in close up:-

(Flower is approx 1 cm. across)

This is Chickweed - well known everywhere.

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