
At this season I spend hours admiring tree-flowers as I search the tree tops for the chiff-chaff who sings so loudly you’d think he’d be easy to see.
On Scout Scar escarpment today there are tiny rowan saplings coming into leaf. Too exposed to the south westerlies for them to thrive on the edge. On the dip-slope found a rowan in a glory of fresh green leaves.
Larch trees have female flowers like tiny pink pineapples. Not this year. No idea why although I’ve noted this before. I’ve looked and looked, not a female flower to be found. I’ve tried to discover the reason, with no success.
High pressure sits over the United Kingdom, winds, reaching south from Scandinavia. Over Scout Scar the sky is a blue of incredible intensity, but you may believe it- shading paler toward the earth.
Whitbarrow has more impressive limestone terrace than Scout Scar but you can find traces of terrace, rock like mille feuille pastry. And erratics too. The only named erratic, so far as I know, is the Blue Stone. The Chapman family, who have farmed here over generations, have set a granite plaque at the foot of the boulder, in commemoration.
There are violets and a few patches of wood anemones, wood sorrel on Helsington Barrows under the sahde of a mossy tree. And early purple orchids spring up overnight.