Eyes Down

It is pleasant to walk around Foxglove and enjoy the peace and quiet.  You can amble between so many different habitats and the vistas change.  At other times it is nice to walk around with your eyes glued to the ground although you do miss the deer standing relatively close!

On entering the reserve a tree covered in cream 'fruits' was very obvious and a closer inspection was needed.  The fruits of Blackthorn were not as they should be at this time of year, green and round!  Some research has shown these strange 'fruits' to be caused by a fungus and they are called Pocket Plum Gall.

Hardheads are still tight in bud.  We have the ordinary Hardheads and the Rayed variety one of which, growing in a different place, (as some flowers are this year and therefore keeping us on our toes) is in flower.

Eyes have to be raised slightly when passing Kidney Spot (Ladybird) Corner.  Only a few adults have been seen here this year but we were delighted to find 'babies' on one of the Ash trees.  There is sure to be a scientific name for the structure of the larva but little brushes sounds much better!

Out of the corner of your eye Speckled Wood Butterflies can be seen flitting through sunny glades and sometimes settling to allow a photograph to be taken.

On the middle moor Common Blue Butterflies were feeding.

A once in a life time photograph, a damselfly, a skipper butterfly and a fly all together. Truly amazing what you can see with your eyes looking down.