Blue and Green Delight

Sat May 15th
The Rusland Valley
Today’s walk was in one of my favourite places; The Rusland Valley.
If there is one perfect place to be on a sunny May afternoon, then the Beech woods in this valley is that place. When the Beech leaves have just opened there is a certain green haze to these woods as the sunlight shines through the new fresh lime-green leaves, and shines down on the Bluebell carpet below the trees.

Orange-Tip Butterflies were flitting along the roadside, taking advantage of the Garlic Mustard that flowers here, the male Orange Tip Butterflies have, as their name implies, lovely orange tips to their for-wings, the females lack these orange markings but are otherwise similar. I am still trying to get a photo of a male Orange-Tip, but unfortunately they never seem to stay still long enough to get close to, I will do it one day though!
Another Butterfly seen here was the Green-Veined White; these have a green veined pattern on their wings, hence the name.

One of my favourite birds was calling from high in the Beech trees, the Wood Warbler, this bird is very small but has a nice olive, yellow and white plumage, and has a sweet song that starts slowly but accelerates into a fast trill. This is a summer visitor arriving here from Tropical Africa each spring; they are a bird of broad-leaved woodland and typical of Oak, Birch and Beech woodlands.

Other summer migrants heard were Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Swallow and Cuckoo. The usual birds like Robin, Blackbird, Wren, Greater Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch were also very vocal as our woodlands are full of bird song right now.

The woodland edges are blooming with new spring flowers, some of the flowers here include Lesser Celandine, Greater Celandine, Dog Violet, Ramsons, Herb Robert, Dandelion, Wild Arum and Ground Ivy.
Wood Anemone is still flowering in the woodlands, these lovely large white flowers are always a joy to see in the spring sunshine, and quite often the flowers have a pink tinge to them too.

Most of our trees are now in leaf, and this is a special time of year as the trees give the woodlands an amazing colourful effect right now. The trees all seem to have a colour that is unique to each species right now, and my favourite are the Oaks who seem to have a golden-yellow colour in spring.

There are plenty of Bumble Bees about now, and Hoverflies too, Dung Beetles are also plentiful on the woodland floor and the tree canopy is once again buzzing with insect life, and a wonderful sound on a warm spring day.

The star of the show right now though are the Bluebells, surely these have to be top of the list of people’s favourite wildflower, they are certainly one of my favourites. Can there be any nice sight than the blue carpet in our woodlands on a warm and sunny spring day? I don’t think so, especially when the Beech leaves are fresh and the sun shines through them.
Get out and enjoy it, it is all for free, unlike most things in life!