White violets

All along the southern verge of Bittaford Road, from Bittaford to the station, there are big clumps of sweet violets. All are white rather than purple. There is also a cowslip. At White Oxen, some purple violets (common dog violets), red dead-nettle, and carpets of golden saxifrage and barren strawberries. Also two fallow deer and a…

Slapton

We went to Slapton to see the humpback whale that has been visiting Start Bay since the end of February. We didn’t see the whale – apparently it comes into the bay with the incoming tide – but we did see a harbour porpoise and reed buntings. There were swans, grebes and a lot of…

Vapourer moth

Collected a few vapourer moth eggs on Ugborough Beacon to try and raise at home in the hope of seeing the ornate caterpillars. I am curious to know if they will be the usual red form or the yellow form that may be specific to Cornwall. The eggs were attached to bracken stalks that largely had been…