We had a big thunderstorm today. In fact, about 20 minutes after I had my encounter with the little black squirrel, I got caught out in it. I got drenched.
Miley, of course, knew it was coming and had more sense than me. She stayed home.
But after the rain we went out, and it was absolute perfection. I love these May and June rains. Everything is so green and lush now that it is likely walking through a magnificent garden.
Although our wood, which starts and mingles with the end of the garden, looks similar, the vegetation here is comprised of different species of course. For example, the commonest trees in our wood are european beech and hornbeam, with some wild cherry. Like yours, the understorey ferns are right now sending up pale green fronds; rhe only fern species in this wood being the male fern, which is semi evergreen at best and grows in a very upright form to almost four feet. Other understorey plants include woodland grasses and sedges plus the european holly which is shiny dark evergreen and prickly. The main climber these days is the honeysuckle which has fragrant yellow flowers most of the summer. For woodland fragrance and beauty It takes over from the bluebells which are the main woodland attraction at the moment and they smell like hyacinths when the air is moist. Tree trunks are less covered by ivy now because of an increase in our deer population. LIke “little lambs,” little deer are also eating up Britain’s ivy as winter fodder, at least in this neck of the woods!
You now know why I like George Stubbs’s paintings.
I wish my dog had that sense for coming storms… She urged me to go for a walk one evening this winter when we then ended up in the worst storm ever. But at least she had fun tracking our way back home.
Ah, but she might have and enjoy being out in a good old storm.
Great pictures. I loved your adventure. Seems like you too are a hike-see-point-shoot type of a photographer. This is how I describe my photography.
I was in Michigan with my family for past few days. Now that I am back and it is really warm up here, I am thinking my hikes would be in similar conditions too.
Last two long distance hikes (last Saturday and Sunday) were in pleasant weather conditions, but in ankle deep muck.