Waterside

On another hot and humid day, it was nice to include a bit of waterside in our walk this morning.  The lakes of Straw's Bridge provided the watery backdrop to some of today's pictures, starting with the wonderful display of Ox-eye Daisies which grow on the banks of 'Swan Lake'.

Ox-eye Daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) is common all over the UK and most other temperate parts of the world, but despite our familiarity with it, it remains a joy to see, particularly in such large numbers.

Another waterside plant giving good value at the moment, is the Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). Again, rather common in the UK, it is another plant which seems to flower its heart out.

Like the Ox-eye Daisy, Purple Loosestrife is very popular with a wide variety of insect species, especially the Bees and Butterflies.  They make a nice show when seen against the watery background here at Osborne's Pond.

Lastly, another common and much maligned plant.  This one was growing by the side of Mapperley Reservoir a few days ago.  Smooth Sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) is more often seen as a nuisance in the garden and is dealt with in the usual way.  But it too, is a great favourite with bees and all sorts of flies, so perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to consign it to the compost heap.