Spear

Just one plant to mention from today's walk.  As we walked along, heading for Shipley Hill, my attention was drawn to a large Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare).  I have mentioned these prickly plants before and I am constantly impressed by their formidably spiny stems and leaves as well as their beautiful, purple flower heads.  But this one was different.

Still unmistakably a Spear Thistle, the flowers of this plant were almost pure white - something I hadn't come across before, but well worth a picture or two.

Pink

Today, I thought we would have something to brighten up an otherwise, dull day.  On our recent walks around Shipley Park, we have been fortunate to find some rather beautiful flowers.  Among these, two stand out, not because they have particularly large or showy flowers, but because they have a gorgeous pink colour - not a colour we see too much of around here with the majority of yellows and whites.
First, a diminutive flower blooming in open clusters on top of bright green stems in dry grassland and woodland rides hereabouts.  The Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea).

This little plant is part of the Gentian family and has various medicinal uses.  There are a couple of useful Sterols (a sub-group of Steroids) present, including brassicasterol and stigmasterol.  The latter of these has been sited as being useful in the treatment of various cancers such as breast, colon and prostate.

It has also been used in treating various gastric and liver diseases.
Next, a member of the Pea family, the Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus latifolius).

There is just one patch of this plant growing by the footpath near Head House Farm, in the shade of a Hawthorn bush.  But what a glorious sight it makes.  A scrambling plant as most peas are, we have tried in past years to collect a few seeds and grow some in the garden.  This year, we have been successful (so far) and have five, small but healthy seedlings in a pot on our patio.  Lets hope they come to be as lovely as these.

Park

A little cooler this morning, but still dry and sunny, so we tried to stay of the main footpaths as much as possible so as to avoid the bad-mannered cyclists.  To this end, we took to the fields and then through the old West Hallam Colliery site before returning via Head House Farm.  It was there that we were given some 'old-fashioned' looks from a small herd of White Park cattle.  One in particular took a good deal of interest in us as we passed.

This gorgeous old lady looked formidable with her pointed head-gear and seemed to know how good she looked.  Judging by the haughty looks we got, she was clearly unimpressed by Malcolm and I.

Watery View

A Few more pictures from yesterday's walk around Osbourne's Pond.  Having walked over grassland and across Shipley Park, it was good to find a seat where we could pour a coffee from the flask and enjoy the view in the shade of a tree.

Small fish were jumping in the shallows and chasing after pieces of bread which had escaped the bills of ducks and coots.  From a lower vantage point, the distant trees reflected on the lake were complimented by those of closer reeds.

The whole view was glorious in the sunshine and deserved a 'panorama' picture.  Coffee drunk, it was time to turn our feet homeward again.

Chicory

Another beautiful day for a long walk, so we took ourselves off for a wander around Shipley Hill, over to the visitors' centre and then on to Osbourne's Pond.  It was while we were walking around Cinder Hill, on the way to the visitors' centre, that a tall, blue-flowered plant caught our eye.

I thought it was Chicory, but having never seen it before, I wasn't sure.  But, getting home and consulting the books, I was right.  Chicory (Cichorium intybus), usually grows to about 3-4ft tall, but these specimens were reaching 6ft or more in some cases.

There were certainly plenty of them.  The bitter-tasting leaves are used in cookery in various parts of the world, especially some of the Mediterranean countries.  The root of this plant, in it's cultivated form, is often baked, ground and used as a substitute for and additive to coffee.  The root is also very toxic to intestinal parasites and has been used as a means of purging the system of intestinal worms.  For this reason it is also sometimes used as an additive to animal feeds.

A very useful plant and when seen growing in such numbers, it's a very handsome one too.

Fish and....

More from yesterday's sunny walk.  as we crossed over the footbridge which spans part of the old Nutbrook Canal, we were surprised to see a shoal of small fish swimming about in the - now rather deeper than usual - water.  The bridge is marked on an old map of 1919 as 'Parker's Bridge'.  We have seen small fish here before, but never so many and recently, there have been none at all.  So to see so many was quite a treat.  Two or three small Perch were easily identified among the shoal, but as for the rest, I'm not sure...

Growing in the wet canal-side ground were lots of Meadowsweet plants (Filipendula ulmaria).  Their white, frothy flowers are a joy to behold, but it is the rich, sweet fragrance emanating from them which first catches the senses.  On a hot day like this, it fills the air beautifully.

Meadowsweet is an interesting plant.  Used in medieval times as a 'strewing herb', it was spread on the floor to sweeten the aroma of one's hovel - or in the case of Queen Elizabeth I (who preferred it to any other herb), one's palace.  It has been used to flavour wine and beer and it is supposed to add an 'almond' hint to stews and jams.  The plant provides ingredients in a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug - or Aspirin.  For this property, it is very useful for those asthmatics who cannot take regular 'aspirin' for fear of inducing an asthma attack.

Blue Skies

After a few days of not getting out for a walk, it was nice to once more be able to walk out in the beautiful sunshine for a walk around Shipley Park and the Reservoir at Mapperley.  Most unusually for this Summer, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temperatures were climbing into the high 20's.  Despite the few warm and dry days, it was surprising how wet some of the paths were.  Walking through Mapperley Wood, we wondered if we should have worn wellingtons, out in the open the scene was just glorious.

The grasses, which in previous years would have been mown by this time, have been allowed to ripen and set seed along with all the wild flowers growing among them.  The result is a wonderful meadow, turning golden like a field of ripening wheat.  Oh, and just as I snapped the next shot, a brown butterfly wanted to get in on the action too!

The reservoir too was peaceful and beautiful.  It was quiet too - surprising for the school holidays!  Even the lone Mallard - a male in eclipse plumage - was floating around at peace with the world, seemingly enjoying the reflections.  More tomorrow I think.