Flowering grasses of the cliff-edge The roe deer flew by me on a South West wind. He came out of nowhere, as if he had leapt up the cliff-face to alight by the hollow where I lay picturing flowers of grass against a blue sky. Momentary and magical. A buzzard mewed and raven soared on the wind.
This is the season of flowering grasses. Ox-eye daisies grow along the cliff-edge and the wind shook the flowers of quaking grass to and fro about their white petals. Lingering in my mind's-eye, the fleeting moment of roe deer, the wind-trembled grass of the cliff-edge.
At this season the flora of the Scout Scar escarpment is glorious, and fast-changing. Fragrant white bed-straw and purple thyme mingle with common rock rose. Hoary rock rose has seeded, and vanished. The deep pink buds of dropwort open into a froth of white flowers. Squinancywort appears, its white petals streaked with pink.
This is the season of flowering grasses. Ox-eye daisies grow along the cliff-edge and the wind shook the flowers of quaking grass to and fro about their white petals. Lingering in my mind's-eye, the fleeting moment of roe deer, the wind-trembled grass of the cliff-edge.
At this season the flora of the Scout Scar escarpment is glorious, and fast-changing. Fragrant white bed-straw and purple thyme mingle with common rock rose. Hoary rock rose has seeded, and vanished. The deep pink buds of dropwort open into a froth of white flowers. Squinancywort appears, its white petals streaked with pink.
Often, when I've had time to consider my photographs of the day, I have a clear idea of the image I hope to achieve. So I return. only to find things have changed. Yesterday, the sun shone brightly first thing but the skies clouded over very quickly. Blue skies and sunlit grasses were gone. The wind thrashed tall grass stems about and that heady fragrance of bedstraws was gone, the day wasn't warm enough for flowers to release their nectar for pollinators. You simply have to seize the day.
No two days are the same. The bright blue sky is gone and there's light rain later in the afternoon so the farmer will be pleased to have taken his latest crop. The mix of flowers changes every day. Blue moor grass flowered at Easter and is tall with seed-heads. Quaking grass flowers now in June and the structures and colours of grass flowers and seed-heads show so much variety.
Yesterday was warm and sultry. I looked for adder but saw none. A friend was luckier and saw one by Warriner's Wood.
RSS Feed