Male linnet 25 July 2015 Linnets are secretive in spring as the breeding season gets underway, concealing their nest-sites. They’re easier to see in summer. Last July, I watched a family on a bare hawthorn. The advantage of a local patch is knowing where to look, and here they are- same time, same tree. They sense they’re safe, up in the tree away from predators. Close by in another hawthorn, young swallows were stretching their wings, gaining strength whilst mature birds wove the blue above. For some while I was still on the ground photographing flowers and hidden in the foliage of an ash tree a green woodpecker called loud in my ear.
Red clover
The sensational of white clover in the Outer Hebrides was unforgettable. I was in clover. On the machair the white clover grows so dense the fragrance greets you on the air. Wandering Scout Scar and looking at red and white clovers, I knelt and came close before I picked up its subtle fragrance.
I’m in clover, in ecstasy. What do we mean, I’m in clover? What does the expression evoke? Down to earth, a pasture of red or white clover extracts nitrogen from the air and saves a farmer buying so much fertiliser. Clover-rich. Am I turning that swooning clover sensation into hard cash? There a song – roll me over in the clover. It’s an easy rhyme for a seductive song , but why clover? The writer could have been thinking of the goodly fragrance of the flower, but goodness -I doubt it.
I’m in clover, in ecstasy. What do we mean, I’m in clover? What does the expression evoke? Down to earth, a pasture of red or white clover extracts nitrogen from the air and saves a farmer buying so much fertiliser. Clover-rich. Am I turning that swooning clover sensation into hard cash? There a song – roll me over in the clover. It’s an easy rhyme for a seductive song , but why clover? The writer could have been thinking of the goodly fragrance of the flower, but goodness -I doubt it.
Lady's bedstraw, Galium verum
On Scout Scar lady’s bedstraw is abundant , its honey-scent more potent . And we don’t say we’re in lady’s bedstraw. Most of us don’t. Lady’s bedstraw was once dried and used to stuff mattresses. In late July there’s a great sweep of yellow flowers across the limestone grassland, with frog orchids scattered here and there. I like the way flowers creep into the language and the origin of an expression is lost.
Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris
As for self-heal, healer of wounds, a cure for sore throats as its Latin name implies. Self-heal on Scout Scar is usually a deep and vibrant blue. I assume this is a white variant, since the white-flowered cut-leaved self-heal is said to occur only in the south.
Last summer was a scorcher and by late July the flora looked burnt and frazzled. This summer sees unsettled weather, with wind and rain, and the flowers are wonderful although it’s a poor summer for butterflies. Not a single six-spot burnet moth to be seen! A couple of years ago they were everywhere.
Last summer was a scorcher and by late July the flora looked burnt and frazzled. This summer sees unsettled weather, with wind and rain, and the flowers are wonderful although it’s a poor summer for butterflies. Not a single six-spot burnet moth to be seen! A couple of years ago they were everywhere.
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