By April, the countryside was bursting with flowers. Foremost of all were - as usual - the Cherry trees.
On Shipley Hill, the Pieris bushes were holding their own in spectacular fashion...
while, back home, I was interested to find a tiny visitor to our home - Malcolm wasn't too impressed by this little Carpet Beetle.
A small flock of Waxwings livened things up a bit.
The hedgerows were filled with Blackthorn blossom.
and the Cherries got ever more beautiful as the month went on.
By the end of the month, the woods were filled with the colour and fragrance of Bluebells....
The Rhododendrons were beginning their annual show...
and Apple Trees were adding their assistance to the floral display.
May came along and the Bluebells on Shipley Hill exploded in colour and scent.
Thousands of them...
Also in May, we were treated by Malcolm's Mum, to a holiday in Switzerland again.
as usual, the scenery was spectacular...
and we gained some fine vantage points from where to view it.
It was all rather lovely.
When we returned home, we found the trees were in full leaf and the Oaks were beginning to suffer from a proliferation of Gall Wasps.
The Rhododendrons were ostentatiously showing off their colours.
As were the Azaleas.
Malcolm wanted a closer look at this one...
Soon, it was June and our focus shifted from flowering trees, to the smaller flowers closer to the ground. Ox-eye Daisies...
Dog Roses...
and the first of the year's Orchids.
An artificial floral display was to be found tumbling out of a high window at Derby's Silk Mill as part of an art installation called 'Weeping Window'.
Thousands of ceramic poppies made a wonderful sight.
Back to the wild flowers of Shipley Park and the more lowly members of the floral world, were now in full bloom too. Common Centaury...
Red Clover...
White Clover...
and Spear Thistles. All common plants, but no less attractive for that!
It was also time for us to start looking out for the Bee Orchids.
That's it for today. More to come tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment