Spotting flowers growing wild in the South East
Flora on the beach On the third and final day I walked West along the seafront to Winchelsea Beach and back. Most of the flora I spotted has already been covered in my previous two posts. I had been very lucky with the weather all week, although the wind was quite strong for the entire…
Flora of Rye Harbour in May I spent three whole days at Sussex Wildlife Trust Rye Harbour Nature Reserve in East Sussex this May. On Day 1 I wandered the reserve with my friend Mercy and did a spot of bird watching in the hides (not bird photography though, I prefer targets that don’t move!)….
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Flowers On the second day of my visit to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve in Sussex, I walked out to Camber Castle and the reedbeds at Castle Water. Around the beach Of course there was plenty of sea kale, as seen in the pic above! Herb robert is one of my favourite…
Along the river Test in Hampshire Mike and I had a lovely weekend away in our campervan in Stockbridge in Hampshire in May. We had the express purpose of walking along the river Test. Being from the chalky South Downs, we were attracted to a chalk stream! We loved being able to park our van…
Local floral highlights of May 2021 Flowers of very early May Call me a cheat but I couldn’t resist including these two lovelies from the 30th April! Both the English bluebells Hyacinthoides non-scripta and Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata were looking so lush and abundant! In bloom in early May It was about this time that…
Wildflower spotting with Plantlife On my regular health walks around Seaford I often take the Alfriston Rd heading out of town and pass a dog-walking field. It turns out this is called the Last Meadow and is a well known haven for orchids and other wildflowers. When I saw Plantlife had a Great British Wildflower Hunt I…
May is the best month for thrift …Around Seaford anyway – looking back over my old photos, all the best ones were taken in May! The chalk cliffs of this sunny Sussex seaside town provide an ideal home for the little pink flowers. Splash Point is the most easterly area of beach in Seaford where…
Short hike up a hill with flowers and views After lock-down was relaxed a little we took the kids for a short hike up the chalky Downs behind Alfriston in Sussex. In case you wonder how we managed to persuade a twenty year old and an eighteen year old to get exercise – we lured…
Also known as weeds I guess a lot of people have been wildflower spotting closer to home this spring. The trouble with garden wild flowers is they might also be considered weeds. A weed can be a cultivated plant or a native plant in the wrong place and I have both! What is a native…
Mike makes elderflower champagne most years What I love about elderflower champagne is the fresh floral taste, and feeling of a midsummer treat! Making elderflower champagne Picking elderflowers The elder tree, Sambucus nigra, is very common in the UK and flowers late May into early June here in the South East. Our elderflower champagne recipe…