What a good idea it turned out to be yesterday when KT and I incorporated an hours 'bush bashing' on Heysham Barrows with a pleasant walk from Sandylands.
Right day, right time, to initially find two, then eventually up to 5 Whinchat and 6 Whitethroat, with 5 Blackbird, 4 Linnet including a female with nesting material, 2 Dunnock, a Song Thrush, Greenfinch, with a good healthy number of House Sparrow, and 2 Swift lingering over.
The Bluebell.
Bluebell. Pete Woodruff.
It was good to find native Bluebells on Heysham Barrows, which are losing the battle to an insidious competitor the Spanish Bluebell. Introduced in Victorian times as a garden plant, the Spanish Bluebell lept over the garden fence years ago to cross-breed with our native Bluebell and produce hybrids with a mix of characteristics.
Our native Bluebell is best identified by it's droop like top of the stem like a shepherds crook, with bell-shaped flowers of rolled back tips, and creamy white pollen.
Our native Bluebell is best identified by it's droop like top of the stem like a shepherds crook, with bell-shaped flowers of rolled back tips, and creamy white pollen.
Spanish Bluebell. Pete Woodruff.
The Spanish Bluebell has conical bell-shaped flowers with open tips, and more notably an upright stem, the pollen of this Bluebell is blue.
Marvelous photos of flowers..
ReplyDeleteGreetings..