A Saturday morning walk to the stream. The PONs head off down the hill disappearing into the woods, reappearing then disappearing again. Tails wag. Swarms of dragon flies around at this time of the morning, bursts of lapis lazuli darting in and out of the shade.The beauty of a pair of Kingfishers tadpole fishing in the stream leaves me amazed.
On some parts of the walk where the sun can't penetrate the covering foliage the air is chill and damp. Further down towards the stream the clay hills on either side of the path retain the heat and channel it outwards. 16 degrees on top of the ridge, 25 down here. Half a dozen micro climates within a kilometre of The Rickety Old Farmhouse.
The orchids are finished but there are cornflowers and wild gentians and a score of others with names I don't know.
The wild roses heavy with hips. Their colour this year remarkable for its ruby intensity. In Scotland the farmers would view this as ' food for the birds' a sure sign that a harsh winter is on its way. 'Nature always has a way of compensating '.
An architecturally marvellous mushroom or is it a toadstool ? A full five inches in height. Memorable not so much for its size but for the fact that it's growing on its own. The PONs are quite unimpressed.
Back at the house Bob is loaded into the back of the car. In the back of the car he's at just the right height to remove sticks, burrs and sharp grass seeds. He's covered in them. This has been an excellent outing.
Gannetts en masse : https://twitter.com/HughHarrop/status/884667009107206144
10 comments:
Here in Scotland we have monster toadstools and rowan trees overloaded with berries just now.
Hari OM
... and rosehips also - which more trigger the idea of harvesting for jelly in this particular Scot's brain! YAM xx
Are truffles found in your area?
Yes, although the PONs are hopeless at finding them.
Maybe if you gave Sophie a little yogurt with each one😊
The pale blue flowers in the third picture look like chicory. They grow wild along the roadsides in Northern California. We also have them in the flower garden where they reach six feet high. What a grand walk you all had.
The picture of Bob says, "it was the best walk ever!"
Still high summer here during the day - 33º this afternoon. Thank goodness it's cooler overnight.
Any walk where you collect most of the countryside on your fur must be the best one ever !
Sympathise with the burr and plant removal from fur.
I guess the fun of an outing can be gauged by how many burs, sticks and anything else are caught in their coats. --First chilly day for us, temps in the 40's at night - Time to throw another dog on the bed! :-)
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