Sunny Waterside

The sunshine and warm temperatures this morning, were our cue to take a walk around Mapperley Reservoir - and take the flask with us too. This time, we stopped for coffee before we circumnavigated the reservoir to avoid the expected increase in people numbers later on.

After coffee, we set out around the water's edge and were immediately impressed by the vast number of water lily pads which have covered the water's surface.

On the banks of the reservoir, tall stands of Common Ragwort, echoed the yellow of the water lilies and provided a wonderful feeding station for large numbers of Hoverflies.

The deep pink/purple of the Great Willowherb was also colouring the scene.

Looking into the shallows, small fish were to be seen, hiding among the lilies and trying to keep out of sight of the Common Tern which was quartering back and forth across the reservoir, looking for a meal.

A nice morning for a walk and, as it turned out, not too busy either!