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Off to the seaside.......

saxonaxe

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Warm and sunny after overnight rain, although quite windy, but too nice a day to be indoors. So, haversack, Poncho, biccies and tea flask and a walk along the lake to the beach which is under a mile away from home. Via the woods..of course..:D

Rhododendrons in flower in the wood at the moment, a nice splash of colour in the greenwood.
DSCF6112.jpg


Healthy looking bracket fungi
DSCF6111.jpg


Even healthier looking brood on the lake, seen as I stepped out of the wood.
DSCF6114.jpg

DSCF6116.jpg

To the North of the arched bridge are the Reed beds and then relatively clear water below the bridge down to a Dam and the Southern or lower lake which is partly Tidal at it's Southern end.

This is the Dam, the Lower Lake is to the right and the sea is beyond.
DSCF6122.jpg


At the moment various types of Water Weeds are coming to the surface in the warm weather and in places the surface looks quite pink in colour.
DSCF6143.jpg


Crossing the Dam is a path to the beach. The Hawthorn (May) is in flower and the path here is heavily scented.
DSCF6124.jpg


Butterbur. A strange plant. Male plants are common in the South of the Uk while female plants tend to grow in Yorkshire,Lancashire and other Counties North of Oxford. Mysteriously a single female flower will grow on the same stem as a male plant which allows fertilisation to take place and the Southern plants to survive. The flower spikes appear before the leaves which can grow to 80-90 cm across and yep, you've guessed it, were once used by country folk to wrap fresh churned Butter.
DSCF6125.jpg


Ok, relax...Wild Flower nerd mode off now......:lol:

Sometimes I wonder how I survive this stressful life. I had to sit here in the sun, drink tea and suffer for ages..
DSCF6134.jpg

DSCF6133.jpg


Big seas thundering ashore in the distance contrasting with the bird song in the Gorse bushes behind me.
DSCF6130.jpg


On the way home I came across this Caterpillar. It was writhing about in a violent manner on the path and on closer inspection I could see a tiny wound towards it's tail end. I believe that it had been the target of a member of the Ichneumon species of Wasp or Fly ( There are thousands of each in the species). Their tactic is for the female to inject eggs into a "Host" body, usually a Caterpillar which then become meals on wheels for the eggs when they pupate. Living off the internals of their host until it snuffs it, they burst out and fly away...
DSCF6142.jpg


To finish on a lighter note, the Foxgloves are flowering along the walls near home, as are the Burnet Roses..
DSCF6146.jpg

DSCF6139.jpg


:thumbsup:
 

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Sax, don't worry about being a 'wild flower nerd', its an education for me, hopefully the 'wild strawbs' I think I've found are wild strawbs and not the Burnet Roses you've shown.
Thanks for taking us on the trip mate.
 
Warm and sunny after overnight rain, although quite windy, but too nice a day to be indoors. So, haversack, Poncho, biccies and tea flask and a walk along the lake to the beach which is under a mile away from home. Via the woods..of course..:D

Rhododendrons in flower in the wood at the moment, a nice splash of colour in the greenwood.
DSCF6112.jpg


Healthy looking bracket fungi
DSCF6111.jpg


Even healthier looking brood on the lake, seen as I stepped out of the wood.
DSCF6114.jpg

DSCF6116.jpg

To the North of the arched bridge are the Reed beds and then relatively clear water below the bridge down to a Dam and the Southern or lower lake which is partly Tidal at it's Southern end.

This is the Dam, the Lower Lake is to the right and the sea is beyond.
DSCF6122.jpg


At the moment various types of Water Weeds are coming to the surface in the warm weather and in places the surface looks quite pink in colour.
DSCF6143.jpg


Crossing the Dam is a path to the beach. The Hawthorn (May) is in flower and the path here is heavily scented.
DSCF6124.jpg


Butterbur. A strange plant. Male plants are common in the South of the Uk while female plants tend to grow in Yorkshire,Lancashire and other Counties North of Oxford. Mysteriously a single female flower will grow on the same stem as a male plant which allows fertilisation to take place and the Southern plants to survive. The flower spikes appear before the leaves which can grow to 80-90 cm across and yep, you've guessed it, were once used by country folk to wrap fresh churned Butter.
DSCF6125.jpg


Ok, relax...Wild Flower nerd mode off now......:lol:

Sometimes I wonder how I survive this stressful life. I had to sit here in the sun, drink tea and suffer for ages..
DSCF6134.jpg

DSCF6133.jpg


Big seas thundering ashore in the distance contrasting with the bird song in the Gorse bushes behind me.
DSCF6130.jpg


On the way home I came across this Caterpillar. It was writhing about in a violent manner on the path and on closer inspection I could see a tiny wound towards it's tail end. I believe that it had been the target of a member of the Ichneumon species of Wasp or Fly ( There are thousands of each in the species). Their tactic is for the female to inject eggs into a "Host" body, usually a Caterpillar which then become meals on wheels for the eggs when they pupate. Living off the internals of their host until it snuffs it, they burst out and fly away...
DSCF6142.jpg


To finish on a lighter note, the Foxgloves are flowering along the walls near home, as are the Burnet Roses..
DSCF6146.jpg

DSCF6139.jpg


:thumbsup:
A beautiful very descriptive walk with wonderful photos Sax
 
Ah! I only know the folk lore names and traditional uses of many of the Wild Flowers and plants, I do remember the Latin names of a few of the common ones, but I admit I have to look up the correct names of others.

Sometimes I'm baffled, but I can usually get a clue by individual aspects like, number of petals, leaf shape, stigma and stamens, sepals etc: Those clues help to put them in a family then I can usually get pretty close to naming it, at least with it's folk name or tales about the plant, for instance...

In about 399 BC Socrates the Greek Philosopher was tried and found guilty of " Corruption of the young " ...:eek:...and failing to worship the proper Gods on the correct days. Sentenced to death, he drank a cup of Hemlock.
Now when I see Hemlock, I can't fail to recognise it.

It's the old thing about if you're interested in something the learning and remembering is easier than if the subject bores you to tears, but I am a long long way from being any kind of plant Guru....:lol:
 
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