chilloutdoors

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Between stormy spells butterflies can be found feeding on the last of the creeping thistle, a favourite source of nectar. If you find a patch that has not yet turned to thistledown, watch carefully and you may spot the delicate Holly Blue, which is present in record numbers this summer. 6th August 2025.

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NOT SO TINY. A close up of the remarkable Timothy grass, now flowering in sunny spots on the hill. It closely resembles Meadow Foxtail (also found here) which blooms much earlier, in April and May. 29th July 2025.

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There is a good crop of ragwort this year - it is the food plant of the Cinnabar Moth. Here a larva exhibits characteristic thrashing behaviour, designed to deter predators - as if the toxic creature and warning stripes were not enough! 25 July 2025

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MOST WOODLAND PLANTS bloom in spring, so this one is easily missed, nestling amidst the foliage of the herb layer. And if not a spectacular flower then surely the most magnificent name ... Enchanter's Nightshade. Unrelated to the poisonous nightshades, it is associated with herbal medicine and magical rites ... its scientific label Circaea lutetiana refers to the sorceress Circe from Greek mythology. 7th July 2025.

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Between showers you can see a variety of butterflies on the wing - here a Comma sunning itself on brambles. 2 July 2025.

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SEE IT? A Miller moth, superbly camouflaged on the trunk of a silver birch (a known food plant of the larva). 22nd June 2025.

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Great Spotted Woodpeckers are leaving their nests about now and this juvenile (right, red cap) was exploring with an adult male (left, red nape, preening). You can track them down by the persistent sharp 'kik' calls of the young. As this distant shot suggests, they are shy and not easy to approach - quite often the only view is of the prominent white wing-flashes and the characteristic undulating flight as they make themselves scarce. 5th June 2025.

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FAMILIES WELCOME. We have a couple of new additions to the fauna on the Hill. 31 May 2025

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BEWARE if you are thinking of collecting Elderflower (lower photo) for Hemlock (middle photo) may be growing close by, and the drooping stems of elder may intermingle with the latter. Hemlock (Conium maculatum) contains the deadly toxin coniine, famously used in the execution of Socrates, and by Agatha Christie in Five Little Pigs!

Hemlock can also be confused with Cow Parsley and Hogweed, which are related members of the carrot family and grow abundantly on the hill. However, as you can see in the top photo, Hemlock can be identified by the purple marks on its stem. (This is where the 'maculatum' part of its scientific name comes from; it means spotted or blotched.)

24th May 2025.

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Our native Bluebells still thrive in the woods, despite that the Spanish variety may also be found. If you can smell hyacinth, you are getting warm - then look for the droopy heads with the flowers all on the same side of the stalk. 8th May 2025

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Today I heard what is now a rarity, the call of the Cuckoo on the hill, one of many species that has disappeared from its old haunts, declining by over 50% in the last few decades. Less endangered, though more dangerous (unless you are a Dunnock or a Meadow Pipit) is the poisonous Cuckoo Pint - pictured above, which reaches its extraordinary blooming prime just as its 'namesake' arrives from Africa. However, a quick visit to Wikipedia will tell you that the name Cuckoo Pint has an altogether different meaning! 27th April 2025.

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TWO FOR JOY. Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. (Although I noticed that yesterday's rabbit had gone.) 25th April 2025.

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ONE FOR SORROW. Nature, red in tooth and claw. A Magpie recycles a dead rabbit. 24th April 2025.

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It has been an excellent spring for arrivals of Willow Warblers, with numbers well above average. They can be tricky to spot among the fresh leaves of the canopy (they are known as 'leaf warblers'), but you can track down the singing males by their delicate song, a melodic cascade of liquid notes. 22 April 2025

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A female Great Spotted Woodpecker foraging on an old scaly sycamore, just above ground level. There are about a dozen pairs breeding on the hill, and they are most active and vocal at this time of year. 19th April 2025.

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Look out for Dog Violets in shady places; their tiny blooms are worth a close inspection! 11th April 2025.

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MANY NOT FEW! It might be called Few-flowered Leek but at the moment this invasive species is carpeting the woods and filling the air with the scent of garlic. Like the native Ramsons (aka Wild or Wood Garlic) it can be used for pesto and salads, but take care if you pick it, for poisonous Cuckoo Pint (Arum maculatum) grows among the swathes of leeks. Few-flowered Leek was first recorded in the wild in the UK in 1863 ... near Edinburgh! 3 April 2025.