Wednesday 17 May 2023

Come What May

The month of May has now truly announced itself. It was scheduled to be here on May Day, of course, but only a grey, chilly morning was present when those ever-optimistic Morris dancers came out to play. Even King Charlie and all the King's horses and men couldn't tempt May to join the merrymaking.



But this week, on a nature reserve not far from home, May twirled her skirts to show all her lacy flounces (otherwise known as the May flower, the blossom of the Hawthorn).



The fresh colours of spring are already being replaced by the heavy greens of summer. Too much cover for birds to hide away in, in my opinion, though their songs give them away. And the lead chorister at Fen Drayton Lakes this week was the Garden Warbler. Both its name and its appearance suggest an unremarkable creature. Until it opens its beak, that is....



As you may have gathered it's one of those characters who can always find something more to say. And when there are at least half-a-dozen of them trilling away, as there was along the Old Ferry Road yesterday, the combined music is astonishing.



Occasional pauses revealed the soft purring of a Turtle Dove. There was a time, not so many years ago, when an evening walk from my door could often be rewarded with its gentle sound. Now I have to make a special journey and even then success is far from guaranteed.



It's always worth getting down low to view the buttercups.



There's a lot of water about after the recent rains, but all the footpaths were reasonably dry - with one predictable exception, but that could be easily by-passed.



This handsome individual doesn't care how much rain there is.



Swavesey windmill, on the horizon, lost its sails long ago and now serves as a wedding venue. It dates from 1866, though there may well have been a mill there previously.



It just wouldn't be my blog without at least one picture of the reedbed.



This is the flower of Salsify, a Mediterranean plant that can be grown as a root vegetable, but which has escaped into the wild in England. It's closely related to a native flower called Goat's Beard which has yellow flowers but is otherwise very similar. As is often the case the folk names for these two flowers have become hopelessly muddled and both of them sometimes go by the splendid old name of Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon, a reference to the flowers closing up in the middle of the day.



The sun shining from behind this tree made it look as though it was illuminated from inside! I think it was Annie Dillard who wrote about "the tree with lights in it", now maybe I know what she meant.



There's a footpath that leads alongside the River Great Ouse.



The sluggish old river dawdles along on its way to the Fens. It's only about 13ft (4 m) above sea level here and it's got some 45 miles (72 km) still to go. No wonder it's taking its time. Come to think of it, as the day is warming up, I'm not feeling particularly energetic either! Time to go and get some lunch.




Take care.


27 comments:

  1. Sluggish rivers reflecting the trees and plump cows and horses grazing the spring grass, are very much part of the low lands on the East side of England. Hawthorn always fills the hedgerows then the sweet smell of elderflower to make 'elderflower champagne' with..

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  2. What a lovely area, everything is coming alive and showing its beauty. Love the bird singing its song. Have a wonderful evening, John.

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  3. Well, there's a new flower for me... salsify. Thanks!

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  4. Con el sonido de la tórtola y las vistas de esa Naturaleza.Por un momento, me ha parecido estar ahí.

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  5. What a totally delightful outing. Thank you. When I played the video clip (and delighted in the song) the small cat beside me became very, very interested. Tough luck Odie.

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  6. All of your photos are wonderful, and with your narrative I can easily imagine myself walking along with you. I find the last photo incredibly striking!

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  7. Such a beautiful and peaceful walk, John. Thanks.

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  8. John - the May blossom this year is so prolific isn't it. Have not seen a salsify flower before. That Drake Mallard is beautiful and he knows it.

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  9. That salsify flower! Wow!!

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  10. I love the photo of the Salsify, a flower that I rarely come across. You have captured the month of May to perfection, there is so much here to both see and enjoy.

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  11. What a lovely area! The sky is blue, you can admire flowers and listen to the birds, Unfortunately, it rains here all the time.

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  12. Another lovely walk, John. I'm glad May has arrived!

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  13. May flower boom is so gorgeous. Your capture of the backlit flower in the last shot is amazing

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  14. May is such a beautiful month there. The birds and the flowers all thriving in the warm sunlight of spring. I love the title of this post, John.

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  15. Like you said the calendar says May but weather not so much. Today the temps didn't get to even 50º and tonight there's a freeze warning with temps predicted for the 20s. Brrr. Heat still on in this house. Lovely walk as always and thanks for letting me tag a long.

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  16. You gave us a nice tour of the area.

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  17. I love the way the light can shine through flowers or light up trees. Lovely photos as usual.

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  18. Hi John - seeing all the May reminds me of home - where I was born ... great range of photos you've given us - the buttercup is quite gorgeous. Cheers Hilary

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  19. Every time that I look at your posts, it reminds me that we are surrounded by miracles that most of us never even see. I am glad that you do.

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  20. Beautiful wildflowers! I love the song of the garden warbler too.

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  21. How beautiful. May is out everywhere now and such a glorious sight. I've never seen a Salsify flower so thank you for the photo:)

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  22. Beautiful shots! Our recent days have been on the cool side.

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  23. The birds maybe plain looking but its song makes up for it! Glorious!

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  24. Your patience has been rewarded on this beautiful, May day! I love your images but your prose brings an added joy of a season I don't experience here.

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  25. Lovely to see photos of your countryside in spring.

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  26. You capture things many people would never notice, John. Thank you for sharing all this beauty with us.

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  27. Some beautiful tree images John. I also like the song of the Garden Warbler, a pleasure to listen to. Beats the Nightingale any time I think.

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