Cyn's Nature Notes: The Longest Day of the Year

Monday, 21 June 2010

The Longest Day of the Year

Today dawned bright and beautiful, the sky was so blue and not one cloud in sight.

On my way to Addenbrookes for my full body scan, up and breakfasted by 5am, then back to bed until 8am. We drove the A10 route, and had hardly traveled any distance, before we saw road verges red with poppies and near to Ware a field of poppies, breathtaking in its redness made all the more so by green field edges, hedges and trees which surrounded it. All the verges are alive with flowers especially the tall white daisies, that Pam, my mother-in-law was so fond of, the mainly white changed to purple as thistles overtook the daisies, then yellow as buttercups became the main flower.

Creamy white umbellifers stood proudly head and shoulders above all other wayside flowers. Mauve mallows, red poppies and white umbellifers surrounded by a sea of green grass made the prettiest display, just before Buntingford. Here and there were bright yellow splashes of tom thumb.

Huge bramble bushes, bloomed with the promise of autumn goodies and both field and dog roses were especially beautiful being so massed with flowers were they.

The elders are in flower, also with a promise of autumn goodies. I promised myself I would make elderflower champagne this year, but I don’t know now whether or not I will.

The best sight though was in Ware, when we looked up and saw a red kite, we have often watched these birds in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and are so pleased to see them in Hertfordshire now. Just after Royston, blue geraniums, purple vetch, mauve mallow, red poppies and yellow wayside flowers made a very pretty scene.

Evening addendum
Today is the longest day of the year, so at present the evenings stay light until late. We put the fox food out at 9:40pm and sat watching the TV with the curtains open, at 10:10pm I glanced out of the window and noticed a tiny baby fox, if he were a sheltie puppy I would guess he was 8-10 weeks old, he was very tiny – the smallest fox cub we’ve ever seen. At first he appeared to be alone, then after a few minutes an adult, pale in colour, appeared, by her size I guess she was a female, while the cub ran about and randomly ate she collected food in her mouth and ran with it back out of the garden. She must have been feeding young because before very long she was back again. This continued until all the food was gone, and then she left and the young cub followed her.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.