David M

[David M]

Cheers, Wurzel. Males are easier than females because you've got the sex brands, but as you say, the knees often must be employed to get the antennae shots!

Thursday 8th August 2013 - Aston Rowant (Part 3)...

If it were possible to know how many Chalkhill Blues were present on this site last Thursday then I guess we'd be looking at 4,000+. You couldn't walk 5 yards without disturbing them, and a glance at practically any conglomeration of flowers would furnish several more. They looked particularly beautiful in the weak morning sun:

Same individual's underside:

Females were also extremely conspicuous:

There were quite a few Common Blues flying, and just as many Brown Argus, including this 'mint' specimen:

The shrub line at the bottom of the bank yielded about two dozen Brimstones, both males and females, which were strongly drawn to this dead-nettle type plant:

Along with the butterflies, I was also treated to the sight of two soaring Red Kites (although these are commonplace in the Swansea area so I didn't get too excited!)

Quite a few enthusiasts visited in the 5 hours I was there and I'm sure they all had as great a time as I did. This is now probably an annual 'must visit' place for me.

[David M]

Thanks, Neil. The weak sunshine of early morning certainly helps photography. I must endeavour to make better use of these conditions next year, even if than means 4am starts!!

Tuesday 13th August 2013 - Plenty of butterflies wherever you go....

With a poor weather forecast for most of the remainder of the week, I finished work early at 3.15pm and was on my way up Kilvey Hill by quarter to four.

Graylings were the most common species (about 50 seen), with the first one encountered just beyond the cemetery wall:

Interestingly, female Wall Browns were encountered in the cemetery whereas males were not. I saw 7 in all, 4 females (all in the cemetery) and 3 males on Kilvey Hill itself, leading me to conclude that the females use the cemetery's long grasses to lay their eggs in. They also like to bask on the stonework of the graves:

There are quite a few buddleia bushes growing in the quarry area on the south facing slopes. It was here that I encountered two Painted Ladies:

On the way back down, I saw a Grayling become temporarily entangled in a spider's web. I prepared myself to free her, but she was strong enough to escape without any assistance. As soon as she'd done so, she was courted by a male, and once again I observed the wing-flicking between the two. At one point, both had their wings open, but for reasons unknown the male lost interest and flew away. However, I did have the foresight to set my camera to sport mode and managed to capture the female with her wings spread:

Given the events of the last few days, I was astonished not to see a single Peacock. However, the species tally was still respectable even without them:

Grayling 40-60
Meadow Brown 30-40
Common Blue 20-30
Small White 10-20
Green Veined White 10-20
Large White 10-20
Hedge Brown 10-20
Speckled Wood 10-15
Wall Brown 7
Red Admiral 6
Painted Lady 3
Small Tortoiseshell 2
Small Heath 2
Brown Argus 2
Comma 1

[David M]

Sunday 18th August 2013 - Typical!.....

Two weeks ago I visited the Alun Valley site in Glamorgan and saw a staggering 24 different butterfly species. I commented back then that the only ones I could possibly have added that day were Brimstone, Wall Brown and Painted Lady.

Guess what? All three of those were seen today, but sadly 6 species I saw a fortnight ago were NOT spotted , leaving the overall tally at 21 (still very pleasing, though):

Meadow Brown 100-150
Common Blue 50-70
Green Veined White 40-60
Hedge Brown 30-40
Speckled Wood 20-30
Small Heath 20-30
Large White 15-25
Small White 10-20
Brown Argus 10-20
Wall Brown 9
Grayling 8
Red Admiral 6
High Brown Fritillary 6
Small Tortoiseshell 4
Painted Lady 3
Silver Washed Fritillary 3
Peacock 2
Small Copper 2
Comma 2
Brimstone 1
White Letter Hairstreak 1

It was a blustery morning, and I think most butterflies had decamped to the quarry to take shelter. It was quite cloudy when I got down there but much more becalmed than on the exposed down.

As forecast though, the sun came out and the ground started to shimmer with Blues and Meadow Browns. Before long, it was a game of "who's up for buddleia then?"

All three Whites along with Meadow Browns were quick to get in, along with Red Admirals, Painted Ladies, Small Tortoiseshells, Commas and Peacocks.

Five High Brown Fritillaries were still at the table too, and two Silver Washed popped in for a feed as well.

A couple of Graylings were keen to try their luck, and I even saw Hedge Brown, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Wall Brown and a male Brimstone nectaring on the copious blooms in this incredibly protected location. In fact, the only species I saw today that didn't partake (even briefly) of the buddleias were Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Small Heath and White Letter Hairstreak.

As I went to leave the quarry I saw this bedraggled High Brown Fritillary which is the most ragged I've ever observed (could still fly though!)

In the gun club meadow, this White Letter Hairstreak was almost unrecognisable

9 Wall Browns is the most I've ever seen on this site. It took a while before I saw my first, but there were 7 spotted in the quarry, a further one on the way back out up the hill to the down itself (which is where I've seen odd ones turn up quite regularly), but of most interest was finding a female some distance away near the actual gated entrance to the site. She was happily feeding away on the brambles without a care.

This will be my last visit to this glorious site this year, and if we add the Orange Tips, Dingy Skippers and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries seen here in spring, that means I've notched up 30 species at one site in a single year, which is certainly good going and a sign of how important this place is to butterfly conservation.

[David M]

Those High Browns seem to hanging in there for a long time, are they normally around until now or is this unusual for them?

Have to confess, Neil, that I've never visited so late in August so I can't commit to a definitive answer. I was certainly surprised to see them though, and I daresay one or two may linger into September this year!

I'll have to PM you next year for some inside information and then try to coincide a trip there with one to the Outlaws

You won't regret it, Wurzel. 24 species in a day would be notable even in YOUR part of the UK.



Thursday 22nd August 2013 - Crazy 45 minutes....

I arrived at West Williamston in Pembrokeshire at 1040 this morning given that the forecast from noon onwards was remarkably favourable - 22c, cloudless skies and barely a breath of wind.

The forecast was worryingly inaccurate though. When I first arrived there were breaks in the cloud but it got considerably more overcast and at 12.30pm I was sat in the 'glade' wondering whether I'd had a wasted journey.

During this inclement period I visited the limestone ridge near the western end of the site and saw 2 male and 1 female Wall Brown, along with a handful of Common Blues:

Conditions weren't good on the way back though:

At 12.40pm however, the skies (as forecast) started to clear, and by 1pm the clouds had virtually evaporated. There was no Brown Hairstreak activity in the 'glade', so I ventured immediately outside onto the foreshore as it was here last year that I counted eight eggs on a single sucker; what's more, I could remember where that sucker was located.

Within 2 minutes I saw my first BH:

As I was tracking her, another BH entered my field of vision. This one was undoubtedly the largest betulae I've ever seen:

She had some wing damage though; not torn, but some kind of fluid has come into contact with her wings at some point:

Amazingly, within this 20m square area I saw 2 more different individuals, meaning that 4 female Brown Hairstreaks were within relatively close proximity to one another and I had to decide which one to pursue. What a dilemma!! Here's the 'hotspot' for those that know this site:

I snatched a quick upperside image of one of the first two I'd seen before going after the others:

This specimen was the most attractive of the four I saw:

Practically pristine uppers as well:

Off she went to lay some eggs:

I could see her bending her abdomen, but it wasn't until she moved away that I could see that the egg she'd just laid was right next to an existing egg presumably laid by another female. There's a noticeable difference in appearance between the earlier egg and the one freshly deposited:

So, all this activity occurred between 1pm and 1.45pm, after which I thought I'd better stake out a few other areas further along the shoreline. This realised nothing though, and by the time I got back, the four Hairstreaks active just half an hour earlier had seemingly disappeared.

I spent a further hour on site but there were no more BHs. However, I did see 14 other species:

Large, Small, Green Veined White, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Comma, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Hedge Brown, Speckled Wood, Wall Brown and Silver Washed Fritillary.

The temperature hit 25c at Cross Hands on the way back. This is quite unusual for this part of Wales, and with a decent few days ahead weatherwise, one hopes that plenty of eggs will be laid for the next generations.

[David M]

Thanks for the comments, all. Much appreciated.

Saturday 24th August 2013 - Clouded Yellow reaches Swansea....

I suppose it HAD to happen eventually. This morning, just prior to midday, I was patrolling my 'patch' at Crymlyn Burrows when I noticed the unmistakeable hue of a Clouded Yellow fluttering low in the grassy dunes.

She was very flighty and I had to put quite a bit of effort in to keep up with her and get any satisfactory images.

She led me about 200 metres from where I'd first seen her, seemingly happy to allow the wind to dictate her direction. She DID settle for 3 or 4 minutes eventually, long enough for her to attract an admirer:

At one point she looked to be laying an egg on vetch. This was the plant in question:

Coincidentally, there's a larva on the above photo. Here's a closer view (and if anyone knows what species it is I'd be most grateful):

Meadow Browns are still about in huge numbers, but Hedge Browns are very thin on the ground. Common Blues and Small Heaths aplenty, but Whites seem to be on the wane (although I still saw double figure numbers of Small and GV). Speckled Woods, Brown Arguses and Small Coppers seen, but no vanessids at all, strangely.

I don't normally bother photographing Small Heaths, but this one was nice and fresh and had a lovely array of underside hindwing spots:

[David M]

Monday 26th August 2013 - Best day ever? Probably......

It's hard to imagine better conditions during late August in coastal Pembrokeshire. Sunny, blue skies, 22c temperatures and practically no wind. Almost unheard of!

Fellow UKBer Willrow (Bill) picked me up in Swansea at 7.45am and by five to nine we were in the car park at West Williamston.

An early pleasant surprise was the arrival of another UKBer, Michaeljf, who I hadn't seen for a couple of years.

A not to be missed opportunity to explore the east facing horse's field was duly grabbed. Usually, the fence is electrified to keep the horse in, but it is currently grazing in the fields leading to the foreshore, and the area is replete with young blackthorn as well as mature Ash trees. What's more, the field was bathed in the morning sunlight.

Bill and I were scrutinising the higher reaches of these Ash trees when we saw what we first thought were Brown Hairstreaks. They appeared very pale though, and I tried to keep track of where they were settling in the canopy so I could attempt to get one on film and zoom in.

Eventually, I managed to do this and was thrilled to see that it was a Purple Hairstreak, a species not associated with this site (there are hardly any Oaks). I'd been told that one or two had been seen in the preceding few days; in fact, I'm confident I saw one myself the previous Wednesday, but when it's a question of making a bold statement about a new species on a site, you really need evidence. Thankfully, although shockingly poor given I was 50 feet from the butterfly, the image below provides just that:

At this point, the lady who undertakes much of the recording work on the site came along, and the three of us moved further down to the Ash trees in the most sheltered spot. More Hairstreak activity was observed, though I'd become wary of making ID decisions without photographic evidence. I managed to get another fairly blurred shot which was notable for me, since it's the first time I've ever undeniably seen a male Brown Hairstreak at this site (and I've been coming here for 4 years!)

After about an hour in this area (and a sighting of a pair of Peregrine Falcons overhead), Bill and I moved on to the first field leading down to the foreshore, where all 3 Whites, Hedge Browns, a Comma and a Silver Washed Fritillary were spotted:

Once we'd arrived at the 'glade', which has historically been a hotspot for laying females, we waited about an hour without any further sightings. I even spent time just outside the glade where I'd seen 4 females simultaneously a few days earlier. Eventually, I moved on and managed to spot one about 150m further up the shoreline:

Posing upside down:

Shame about the 'nick' along the forewing edges, as she was in nice condition otherwise:

By now it was about midday, and Bill and I walked back towards the glade. Suddenly, there was a flurry of activity, with 5 different female betulae seen in just 12 minutes! Once again, there was a preference for the suckers immediately to the left and right of the glade:

Such were the numbers, I only got the chance to photograph one of the individuals:

Bill then found another in the glade itself and Michael spotted one as we made our way west again along the foreshore. By this time our tally was 8 females, but as is common with them, the activity suddenly stopped and no more were seen after about 1pm.

As Bill and I moved towards the limestone ridge at the western edge of the site, a Clouded Yellow fluttered by us in the opposite direction, whilst a Painted Lady was observed on the copious Sea Aster blooms. The limestone ridge yielded a few male Wall Browns and a couple of Holly Blues were seen on bramble.

We stayed till 3pm, although by this time there were hardly any butterflies active at all; Speckled Woods were the only ones with any energy left after an abnormally hot day in this part of Wales!

Amazingly, we didn't see a single Meadow Brown, but in spite of that 18 species were recorded, which would be noteworthy practically anywhere in the UK at this time of year.

This is my favourite British butterfly and West Williamston is probably my favourite site. The day itself was also almost perfect. I'm left wondering whether the zenith has now been attained!

[David M]

Saturday 14th September 2013 - Clouded Yellow reaches Pontardawe!!

Whatever next? Big shock early this afternoon whilst out walking along the banks of the river in Pontardawe when I suddenly spotted a male Clouded Yellow fluttering along the path. Thankfully, he settled fairly readily on some ragwort and I was able to spend a delightful couple of minutes observing him before he flew across to the other side of the river:

He was one of ten different species seen on a mild, generally sunny afternoon where temperatures reached about 15c.

There are numerous buddleia bushes growing along the banks of both the river Tawe and the local canal. This stretch was extremely popular with our winged friends:

Small Tortoiseshells continue to be the commonest species. I saw about 60 in the two and a half hours I was out:

Small Whites weren't far behind (about 50 seen), though I didn't see any Green Veined Whites. Only two Large Whites were spotted which was surprising, but I did see two male Brimstones.

Peacocks all gone to sleep it seems, and no Commas today either. However, Speckled Woods were about in decent numbers along with Red Admirals, with about 15 of each seen:

The other three species seen were Painted Lady (2), a Common Blue (tatty male) and a Small Copper (in excellent condition):

The bridge over the Tawe by Tesco is an excellent vantage point, because you're high up looking down on all these buddleia bushes. There was lots of activity in this sheltered spot, with the white railings being frequently used when the sun went behind the clouds:

This smallish dragonfly also basked on the rail. Anyone got an ID?:

This Painted Lady looks full of eggs. Shame that laying them will be to no avail:

[David M]

Tuesday 24th September 2013 - Busy betulae....

The problem with the Brown Hairstreak site in West Williamston, Pembrokeshire, is that you can scarcely ever rely on the weather. It was lovely when I left Swansea at 10am today but the clouds descended by the time I hit Carmarthen and at WW itself conditions were heavily overcast.

So, no chance of seeing any adult BHs, but given the healthy numbers a few weeks ago, I felt certain I'd find a few eggs.

Find them I did. 94 of them in just over an hour!

Didn't quite equal last year's record of 7 on a single blackthorn sucker, but I found one with 6 on it and three more hosting 5.

I also found two batches of three laid next to one another:

Surprisingly, there WERE a handful of butterflies seen: 5 Speckled Woods, 2 Green Veined Whites, a Small White and a Red Admiral.

The sky brightened up again once I reached Carmarthen on my way back, so I did a little detour to the Botanic Gardens near Cross Hands. Brown Hairstreaks have been recorded here too but I don't know where exactly, and although I found plenty of blackthorn I didn't find a single egg.

Within the gardens there were butterflies in considerable numbers for the time of year, no doubt attracted by the amazing variety of cultivated, exotic flowers. I must have seen 30+ Small Tortoiseshells, along with approaching double figure Red Admirals:

There were plenty of Small Whites too:

Another couple of Green Veined were seen:

Even a Comma, looking quite content on this spectacular flower:

[David M]

Saturday 5th October 2013 - Frustration...then expectations exceeded...

All weather forecasts promised sunshine in Pembroke for today. Swansea was glorious at 8 o'clock this morning, and I even checked the live Tenby webcam and it was sunny there too!

Imagine my frustration then at 10am when, just 4 miles from my destination, the blue skies were abruptly replaced by a high blanket of stubborn cloud.

Nonetheless, I spent a very enjoyable three and a half hours at the West Williamston site even though there were no more than 20 minutes of sunshine in that entire period.

I eclipsed the 94 Brown Hairstreak eggs found last time I visited - 113 located today as I made my way along the foreshore, so the females have certainly been busy this year. Something new for me was finding four eggs laid next to one another:

Butterflies still about, though numbers have declined markedly in the last week or so in spite of continued mild temperatures for the time of year.

This Small Copper was on this flower when I arrived at the site and was on the same bloom when I left!

There were two Commas in the 'glade'. One flew onto the blackberries above my head but the other remained in situ low to the ground and was very approachable:

Lots of other critters about. This spider was particularly resplendent:

I spent a fair while marvelling at a pair of Red Kites as well as a pair of Buzzards circling overhead:

However, the clouds were starting to thicken so at 1pm I headed back to exit the foreshore:

I walked close to the shrub line and as I was approaching the entrance to the new 'glade' something caught my eye - a Brown Hairstreak.

She crawled down the blackthorn branch for about 30 seconds before taking to the air and alighting nearby on a convolvulous leaf:

Rather frustratingly, she was just above head height, so I couldn't get into a proper position to take a photo worthy of the name, but I was absolutely delighted to see her. I suspected there'd still be a few about but I was really surprised to see one active in overcast conditions and 15c temperatures.

I also saw a few other species (keeping tally was easy given the low numbers). Totals seen:

Speckled Wood 8
Red Admiral 6
Small Copper 5
Comma 3
Small White 2
Small Tortoiseshell 1
Brown Hairstreak 1

I'm pretty sure I've never seen 7 species at a single site in October before, so overall it was a better than expected day.

[David M]

Indeed, Wurzel. That same literature also states that sunshine is a critical factor too. Trust me, that Brown Hairstreak saw practically no sunshine at all.

Anyway, today was meant to be cloudy but turned out sunny!

I duly went for an hour and a half's walk around the canal and was delighted to see plenty of butterflies still about.

The buddleia blooms are starting to seriously diminish, although certain bushes are still ridiculously purple for the time of year:

Small Tortoiseshells were the commonest species, with 20 seen, including these three on ragwort:

Red Admirals looked to be just shading Commas, with 11 seen, but on my way back I passed a flowering ivy and there were FIVE Commas within 3 metres of one another (meaning they took 2nd place with 13). The best I could do was to get two in shot:

10 Small Whites observed, whilst two of each of Speckled Wood & Small Copper were encountered, including this very fresh looking specimen:

I notice much colder weather is forecast from Thursday, so seeing 50+ butterflies in 90 minutes ain't going to happen again till April 2014 at the earliest!

[Maximus]

Nice numbers of butterflies seen David especially the Small Tortoiseshells, the Brown Hairstreak was quite a find too. The number of Brown Hairstreak eggs you counted bodes well for next year

Mike

[David M]

Thursday 24th October - Plenty of activity in the right places....

The sheltered footpath which leads from the High Street to Cwm Clydach is the best late season butterfly spot I know of. It's south facing, well sheltered by mature trees and has flowering ivy growing over much of the railings:

By 11.10am, the temperature had risen to 13c and these ivy flowers must have attracted most of the butterflies still in the area. I counted 7 Red Admirals and 1 Comma in my field of vision at one point. I saw 3 more RAs in the clearing further up the path and when I returned I counted 9 Red Admirals on the ivy, making at least 12 seen.

There are 4 RAs along with the Comma in this image:

The ivy flowers had pretty much withered away by the end of October last year, but this year they look to be in their prime at the current time, meaning that this little spot could well throw up the odd butterfly until mid-November!

I'll be back to check.

[David M]

Sunday 3rd November 2013 - Last butterfly?.....

9.40 on the morning of 3rd November doesn't immediately appear conducive to butterfly spotting, yet spot one I did down at Forge Fach, the southernmost part of Cwm Clydach.

I'd been watching the flies and wasps buzzing about the flowering ivy for 5 minutes or so when a single Red Admiral suddenly appeared:

It was remarkably skittish; failing to settle for anything more than a handful of seconds at a time, making an upperside photograph near impossible:

I remain confident that there may be a few more sightings still to come as the week's weather, although blustery and often wet, won't see any night frosts round my neck of the woods, meaning that if the sun comes out the butterflies might be tempted to reappear.

[Butterflysaurus rex]

This is the season that just keeps on giving, it's so nice to be seeing some Butterflies into November. Keep em coming David
If the weather in March is good we'll only have 5 months to wait.

BW's

B'saurus

[David M]

Congratulations on your November Red Admiral, David.

I spent some time yesterday watching flies and wasps on my Ivy when a Speckled Wood appeared. I was thrilled. Seeing it in that company just emphasised how special Butterflies are!

Best wishes

Hoggers.

A Speckled Wood in November is an amazing sighting, Hoggers. I suspect Small Coppers might also still be on the wing down your way.

[Neil Freeman]

Hi David,

Congratulations on your November Red Admiral, still none for me although I believe a couple were seen not far away last week.

Already had a couple of frosts here last week, just light and patchy so far but another couple of cold nights ahead forecast for us. It has been very blustery here lately and the only things I have seen flying lately are the leaves off the trees.

Speckled Woods are often amongst the last butterflies that I see, usually hanging on in my garden until late October. I am not surprised to see the odd one still being seen into November.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

Sunday 10th November 2013 - Curtain finally coming down...

At last! A sunny day with no wind.

The temperature was 9c at best but I thought I'd make the most of conditions and visit the National Botanic Gardens near Cross Hands.

I figured there'd be far more nectar souces here than anywhere else, giving me a decent chance of a butterfly or two.

Well, I actually saw four, all Red Admirals, but they were feeding from one of our native plants - ivy.

After checking out the walled gardens I went onto the pathway directly behind which has a view towards the glass dome housing exotic flora from around the world:

There are very few flowers still in bloom even at this unique location, and I expect the ivy too will have all but finished by next weekend, so I reckon today's quartet will be my final butterfly sightings of 2013 (though given the way things have panned out this year I wouldn't be surprised to be proved wrong).

[David M]

You have certainly done well with the Red Admirals this Autumn
I have been checking back through my notes and I reckon that I have only seen 10 all year, the last one for me was early September. I mustn't grumble though I saw hundreds last year and have seen plenty of other species this year

Yes, it's odd isn't it?

Red Admirals were conspicuous by their complete absence until well into July round here, but certainly since mid-August they've been pretty common (although far less so than last year when there were serious numbers of them).

*Footnote: I saw another Red Admiral this morning on my way to have my hair cut. This one was fluttering around a large clump of nettles by the river at Forge Fach in Clydach.

[David M]

Christmas period 2013

As is usual, I spent Christmas in Abergavenny. Once again one of my tasks was to create a festive meal for the chickens and this year it was minced lamb, sweetcorn and hot dog sausages. The entire platter lasted barely 10 minutes as the pack descended immediately to rip it apart.

Lucie the Light Sussex is the white chicken in the following image. She is notable for her longevity. If she makes it to March, she will be 8 years of age, which is far in excess of what is expected for any chicken, least of all a particularly large and plump one! She's been a resident since July 2006 and is much loved because of her temperament. She's big but has never been a bully. She's very well behaved for a chicken (never observed attacking the hanging baskets or escaping to dine on neighbours' vegetation, etc). She's also never been ill either. Apart from her minor scaly-leg condition, she's been in rude health since the day she was acquired and even when we've had red mite infestations Lucie never seems to get affected.

Christmas eve was a washout, with rain beating down for the entirety of my journey between Swansea and Abergavenny. However, this led to a 'white Christmas' of sorts, as on the morning of 25th December, ground above 500 metres was dusted with snow - the Blorenge to the south....

....and the Sugar Loaf to the north...

Christmas dinner was capon, which isn't something you hear a lot about in these politically correct times. Living in the agricultural hub of south east Wales though means that if you look hard enough you will find what you are after, and I have to say this particular bird was delicious (and HUGE):

New Year was wild and stormy in south Wales, but there has been no frost to speak of which has started to worry me a little. I actually went out yesterday (Sat 11 Jan) looking for possible butterfly activity in Linda Vista Gardens in Abergavenny, and it wouldn't have surprised me to see some such is the benign nature of the weather right now. I hope we get at least one week of 'proper' cold weather before March arrives. Last year proved that such conditions aren't necessarily a bad thing!

[David M]

Sunday 19th January - Felt like spring.....

Spent between 9.30am and 2.15pm at the Alun Valley High Brown site in Bridgend today. It was a glorious winter's day - a butterfly wouldn't have been out of the question but none were seen, although I DID see two bluebottles basking on walls.

The team is keen to cut a 5m wide 'ride' from the upper west slope down to the 'meadow' at the base of the site. This is being carved out in zig-zag fashion so as not to become a wind tunnel and I reckon the halfway point has been reached. We shifted 13 big bags full of (mainly) Hazel growth so the woodland is becoming ever more coppiced.

Opening up the heavy tree cover will allow more violets to grow and that can only be good news for both High Browns AND Dark Greens.

There's a certain reassuring austerity at this time of year when out in the countryside. Things generally look pretty bleak but if you pay attention it's easy to spot early growth which will bloom within the next couple of months. Some images from today: