Yesterday:
Temperature: 25.5 °C | Relative humidity: 38% | Weather: sunny, mild breeze | Locations: mosaic of field, meadow, riparian woodland, and village garden
A free day. We set out — son, dog, and I — past the edge of the village. The track winds across open fields and early-summer meadows, toward the stream-boundary woods and further, in a slow arc toward the muddy pondlet. The path is strewn with fallen petals from Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) in fragrant bloom.
Small butterflies flit past in quiet abundance — tortoiseshells, brimstones, whites — each moving too quickly and freely to name precisely. The air shimmers with tiny insects. Everything that can bloom, really does.
The meadows are in radiant form. Among the flowering plants visible from a single spot: Field Pansy (Viola arvensis), Speedwell (Veronica sp.), Spurge (Euphorbia sp.), Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), Broom (Cytisus scoparius), a pink Vetch (Vicia sp.), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Violets (Viola sp.), Forget-me-not (Myosotis sp.), Red and White Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum, Lamium album), Mayweed (Tripleurospermum inodorum), Field Chickweed (Cerastium arvense), and young Walnut (Juglans regia). Bumblebees drift from flower to flower. The air carries scent, and the fluff of fading Dandelions (Taraxacum sp.) rises on the breeze.
To reach the pondlet, we passed through a dense patch of tall Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica). The water’s edge is overgrown with Alder (Alnus glutinosa), Birch (Betula pendula), and Aspen (Populus tremula). It’s a sheltered, pleasant place. A light wind ripples the surface — enough to cool the sun’s intensity, enough to bring tiny waves across still water. From somewhere near, frogs call intermittently.
The trail climbs next into a stony Pine grove, eventually shifting into Oak woodland — a habitat of entomological interest. We continue through mixed forest, and finally return along a sunken path flanked by now-fading Blackthorns. A murmuration of Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) moves with us, accompanying us to the main road near the village.
Today:
Temperature: ~15 °C | Weather: cool, post-storm, slight rain | Conditions: rapid seasonal shift
Yesterday reached a high of 29 °C. Today is nearly fifteen degrees cooler. Rain and thunder came through, though only lightly here. The apple tree, in full pink bloom just yesterday, has dropped most of its crown. Plants have seized the sun while they could. The next days will be cooler, with ground frost possible at dawn.
At the feeders, I continue to offer a mix of sunflower seeds, peanuts, oats, and oil. A new shallow dish for drinking and a larger one for bathing have been added. Both are now in regular use. Two separate flocks of sparrows — two species — now treat this yard as their own. Great Tits (Parus major) and Eurasian Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) also visit daily. Among the more notable regulars are the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) — most often a female, occasionally relieved by the male — and Greenfinches (Chloris chloris), usually one pair, sometimes in two pairs. A beautiful Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) starts to appear as well, once with a mate. A small mouse emerges at dusk among the feeding stones, quietly taking its supper.
At night, several moths have come to rest near the outside light:
- Latticed Heath (Chiasmia clathrata)
- Scalloped Hook-tip (Falcaria lacertinaria)
- Small Yellow Underwing (Panemeria tenebrata) — the Field Chickweed (Cerastium arvense) is now flowering profusely
- Pale Oak Beauty (Hypomecis punctinalis)
- Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria)
- Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata)
All remain to be processed and logged.
The garden, the yard, quietly, is alive.
