Saturday 14 July 2012

Sunday safari on Saturday.

 Thursday morning was sunny and I most certainly was not going to waste it working.     I decided to take Nella on our favourite walk, Bedlam Lane.    I love this area mainly for the verges.  
 This is the reason, they are left as nature intended.
My most favourite wildflower of the countryside is Meadowsweet,  Queen of the Meadow.    As I walk along the lane the fragrance is amazing.
 Nella also loves this walk......there are rabbit runs dotted all along the lane.
And Nella has to check every one out :)     You have probably noticed Nella has a docked tail (something I do not personally agree with )    This was obviously done by her previous owner.
You are allowed to dock a working dogs tail.   If Nella went too deep into a rabbit hole, the theory is you could grab her tail, and hopefully pull her out.   I do so hope I never have to put this to the test.
 Sheep are enjoying the sunny weather, as you can see by the above image the meadow reaches the sheeps body....no legs to be seen.
 Insects were busy but I was in search of the Meadow Butterflies.     They thrive along Bedlam Lane.    The farmer seems to be aware of their plight and leaves his verges overgrown.     He will cut them back sometime in the winter.    He also leaves some of his hay meadow standing right through until next Spring. 
 I was not disappointed.    I literally saw dozens and dozens of Meadow Butterflies dancing along the hedgerow.
Wildflowers were covered in them............
The Meadow Browns are here and plenty of them.    They often fly on dull days and will even fly in drizzle.     How the 'monsoon type' showers  will affect their breeding I do not know.
We will find out next year but hopefully this farmer has given them a fighting chance and I for one feel that he deserves some recognition.   Three cheers for the Bedlam Lane farmer :)

Happy safari.......may you all dance with the butterflies :)

15 comments:

  1. Lovely walk and the wild flowers and butterflies beautiful. I can imagine you don't get any speed up with Nellachecking out all the rabbit runs? But of course as I have already said there is more to life than increasing its speed and I am sure you enjoyed your walk with time to smell the flowers along the way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Believe me Jane, there was no rush. To have some sunshine was so very welcome. I spent two hours walking and enjoyed every single moment. And yes, I did smell the flowers, I always do on my walks.

      Delete
  2. How lovely the verges look - I have hardly seen any butterflies this year. I went on a garden visit to Hidcote in Glos. during the week and I must say I enjoyed looking at the wild flower-filled verges on the way better than I did the garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Elaine,

      Butterflies are struggling, I was so pleased to see the Meadow Browns.
      I prefer to walk the lanes.....whilst I have Sissinghurst and Great Dixter on my doorstep, give me the fields and wildflowers any day of the week :) I am a country girl at heart......

      Delete
  3. Hi Cheryl, that first photo could have been taken here :-) Your lane looks far more peaceful than its name would suggest ;-) Is there an interesting story behind the name? Give me a view like that any day rather than that of a built up area!

    What a joy to see all those Meadow Browns, you have made my day :-) I haven't seen so many butterflies in one place at all this year. Three cheers for the sympathetic farmer indeed! We have a few more enlightened farmers round here too, I really think it is the only way to go if we are to sustain our wildlife.

    Such a pleasure to see your lovely butterfly photos Cheryl...and a great photo of Nella's bottom ;-)

    I hope you are having a lovely weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jan,

      I believe it was so named during the second world war. The lane was widened so that large vehicles could get along it.
      The farmers fields were turned into a landing strip.... the Americans were based here. Many of the UK and US pilots did not come home from their mission. The farmer, who is very old now, has a memorial on the verge outside his home, which he tends everyday:)

      I cannot tell you just how relieved I was to see the butterflies. The garden is usually full of them this time of year. My count today has been four.

      Delete
  4. HI Cheryl...I have been wanting to take a walk,but it is so hot, if I could get my butt out of bed at an early hour (6:00-6:30) it wouldn't be so bad!! Evening are not better !!
    The wildflower are so free flowering without our pulling weeds and water LOL..makes them even more delightful!!: }
    Did you ever hit the jackpot on butterflies..sooo many of them at once!! I know a few blogger friends who would die to see that sight ..: }!! I love what you find when your not looking for it!! ; }
    Sheep at pasture so soothing!!
    Grace

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Cheryl, I'm so glad you saw so many butterflies! Beautiful.
    I went to Kew today and hardly any insects in the on/off rain. It feels all wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Lane looks so lush. All that rain has helped the meadows no doubt. It is fun seeing Nella in action. We had a spot of rain today. There is a chance for more. Fingers crossed...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Cheryl who loves the bees,
    I am so happy to see your Meadow Butterflies! They are lovely. I too toast the Bedlam Lane farmer. It is easy to live in cooperation with nature....if we just become informed...your farmer knows true beauty...the Meadow Sweet is gorgeous....seeing how lush your countryside is a testament to how much rain you have received.
    It is just delightful to see Nella scampering about....
    Happy sunny safari...
    Sherry, who dances with butterflies

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm so happy for the sunshine for you, Cheryl, and I'm glad you took advantage of the lovely day to enjoy it rather than work. I'm sure Nella was happy, too:) I always wondered what the point was to docking a dog's tail; not sure I would want to pull a dog out of a rabbit hole by her tail, though.

    Thanks for sharing the Meadow butterflies; they remind me of our Buckeyes, which I've seen very few of this year. We seem to have fewer butterflies this year. I don't know much about their habits, though, so I'm hoping maybe they will appear later in the summer. Three cheers for the Bedlam farmer! I wish more were like him--most farmers around here think they must keep everything mowed down, though I am seeing more roadsides and empty fields left standing these days. The bees need those corridors to travel, too.

    Like Songbird, I am curious about the origin of the name of this lane:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hooray for sunny days!!! I loved all the wildflowers and Nella checking out the fauna.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Glad you got to see so many butterflies. I saw just one on my walk yesterday, but it was exciting because it was one I haven't seen before. Must look it up to identify it before I forget. Didn't get a photo, it moved too quickly.

    By the way, you can't have a Sunday Safari on a Saturday. That's a bit like having months and months of heavy rain all summer. Oh hang on!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nella is a darling. She reminds me of our rescue dog, Maddie. I love that dog. I enjoyed your walk through the meadows. So nice to see the pollinators so happy. Happy Bloom Day.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good for the farmer on Bedlam Lane! I am so happy he has taken these measures. How wonderful to see so many Meadow Browns. It was an excellent decision to forget work and go for a walk!

    ReplyDelete