Moorhaven cemetery

The grass has been left long in the cemetery and is full of flowers and insects. Here are some of the plants growing there. Several speedwells: Some to look forward to: Insects: Plantains and buttercups in the arboretum This goatsbeard is growing in the wild patch in our garden but is worth looking out for…

Easter in lockdown

The sun shone and brought out the first flowers of marsh violets, tormentil, lady’s smock and wood speedwell.  There were wildlife residents and visitors in the garden pond. At least five palmate newts, a frog, and a beautiful grass snake. A violet oil beetle munching celandines on the way to Leigh Lane from Moorhaven: A walk to Piles…

Winter/Spring

It was definitely still winter on Three Barrows and Wacka Tor today, but in Didworthy it was spring. Water everywhere, but flowers coming up despite the snow, hail, sleet and high winds we had yesterday. It was good to see a few sunshine-yellow dandelions out as they are an important early source of nectar for…

A break in the storm

I went out in a patch of sunshine to see how Moorhaven was faring after the rain and wind. Snug bugs… Rusty-back ferns and barren strawberry growing in cracks in the wall, and shepherd’s purse on the path above the croquet lawn.

New Year’s resolutions

Cut carbon, fight climate change, keep plastic out of our lanes and waterways (more on that later)… Our Devon stone walls and banks are amazing. Here’s a random small patch: There are some patches of colour, even on a misty January day and the cherry-pie smell of winter heliotrope. Lichens and moss, as colourful as…

Town hall clock

Moschatel is a very prompt flower, befitting its common name of Town Hall Clock. Last year and the year before, it flowered at the end of March along with shining cranesbill, greater stitchwort and bluebells. This year it is here again for Easter, but the other flowers are way behind because of the persistent cold…

New growth

A couple of weeks ago, under wintery skies, there were already new shoots of hemlock water dropwort, wild garlic and lords-and-ladies in the verge, the first flowers of pink purslane and clumps of snowdrops.  

A year around Moorhaven

For a reminder of the year in flowers, please click on the pictures below to scroll through month by month, or scroll down January Sweet violet February female hazel flower March April May June July August September October November December

Ferns

Equipped with James Merryweather’s excellent Fern Guide, I’m trying to identify the ferns that grow prolifically all around here. Starting with the easy ones, there is hart’s tongue in every hedge, and hard fern. Hard fern is plentiful in the hedges but also makes a fringe to the banks of Ludbrook. Polypodies are also very common, even…

December flowers

Meadowsweet and wild angelica, the epitome of summer, are flowering along Wrangaton Road, with the meadowsweet just coming into bud. Still flowering after the summer are red campion, white deadnettle, hogweed and wood sage. Winter heliotrope, the first primroses, lesser periwinkle and new shoots of dog’s mercury are more seasonal. Holly on the moor by Ludbrook

Signs of autumn

Autumn hawkbit (above) and camomile on the golf course. At the base of the hedgerows, there are tangles of redshank, knotgrass and water-pepper. There is lots of wild marjoram opposite the top of Green Lane, by the golf course sign, and enchanter’s nightshade at the bottom of Leigh Lane.       The last of the wild…

Bumblebees

There is a large patch of Russian comfrey just past the top of Green Lane and it was humming with bumblebees. Two species were present (assuming my ID is correct). The shaggy yellow one in the top left picture with a gingery tail is Bombus pratorum, one of the first bumblebees to appear in the spring and quite…