Warm sunny days are meant for finding flowers, I always think, so I recently walked up to Salthill Quarry Nature Reserve to look for Bee Orchids. And then I visited again with my sister to show her the Bee Orchids. The Reserve really is a wildflower wilderness full of butterflies fluttering by and the flora has certainly erupted into an explosion of colour. 🦋🌼🐝
The Quarry areas of the 8 Hectare site are where to find Bee Orchids and other flowers that enjoy the limestone rich soil. Once upon a time the quarry existed at the bottom of the sea and fossilized remains of crinoids ( sea lillies ) can be found in the rocks.
Here are a few photos of the plants currently flowering in the Nature Reserve.
Creeping Cinquefoil spreads low across grassland.Common Blue Butterfly on Marjoram. Lots of these azure blue beauties flitting around. Birds Foot Trefoil amongst Thyme. The Thyme has created a colourful carpet in parts of the reserve. Common Spotted Orchid. Self-heal was used in mediaeval times for binding up wounds. I love the bright blue colour of milkwort. Hoary Plantain , another fan of limy soils. Tiny Wild Strawberries in miniature. Wild Thyme has a distinctive fragrance. The Bee Orchid flower resembles the rear of a small bumblebee. The Bee Orchid is apparently the county flower of Bedfordshire. Tutsan is a larger variety of St Johns Wort. A meadow of Quaking Grass. The constant movement of its spikelets on their wiry stalks makes it’s lovely name really apt. My sister chased this beautiful ❤️ day flying moth until she managed to get a photo. And I love it’s name ,Cinnabar Moth. Anyone else noticed the huge amount of Ox Eye Daisies everywhere this year?
Have you a Nature Reserve local to you? Which wildflowers have you seen there?
So, I tagged along on an organised walk by the Clitheroe Naturalists at the weekend, an amble a round the outskirts of the Yorkshire Dales town of Skipton, taking in the Leeds Liverpool Canal and Skipton Castle Woods.
The Clitheroe Naturalists don’t really have much of a social media presence, though one member does post photos of their flora & fauna finds on the Clitheroe Wildlife Facebook Page. Their walks schedule conveniently coincides with when my other half is working every other Saturday, they seem a friendly bunch, I could be tempted into a future foray…..if they’ll have me. 🙂
Leeds & Liverpool Canal Skipton. Wildflower Meadow just off Aireville Park. Possibly some type of Marsh Orchid. Marsh Orchid. Common Spotted Orchid.
It’s always nice to wander along the canal side in Skipton. I am definitely one for checking out all the barges and wondering what it’s like to live on one!
Life on a barge. Canal basin, Skipton.Cutest Swan 🦢 family. Gorgeous cygnets. Cow Parsley along the canal side.
We followed the canal to Skipton Castle from where Skipton Castle Woods are well signposted. The ancient woodland has featured on my blog before and is home to some beautiful willow sculptures. Over time the sculptures are looking a bit more worn out , a bit more shabby. Yet it’s still wonderful to come across them in the woods.
Follow the signs. Spirit of the Medieval Huntress by Anna & The Willow. Woodland Trust Info Board. Another Willow Sculpture. Weir ,Eller Beck. A shady view.The Stalking Horse sculpture.Emerging from the woods into fields above the town.
I quite enjoyed being out on a walk with fellow nature lovers. 😁🦢
Just a quick update on five nights away over the Spring Bank Holiday. To save money we’ve only really planned to stay at the caravan this year. Not that I mind too much, it’s such a good base for exploring the North of England. And apart from one iffy weather day we were quite lucky.
High Force Waterfall.
The worse weather day was actually a day we had decided to take my Mum to see High Force Waterfall. Heavy rain makes a waterfall much more impressive though, right! The 21 metre gusher fairly thundered through a rocky gorge and downwards into the River Tees. To see High Force we had to pay a charge of £3 each at the nearby High Force Hotel. From there, it is a few minutes walk to the falls along a pram/tramper friendly woodland trail. After navigating some steep steps down to a viewing platform , we saw the very same vista painted by Turner in 1882. High Force is certainly eyecatching, but personally I think I prefer the gentler cascade of nearby Low Force.
High Force Waterfall, Middleton in Teesdale, County Durham.
Chilling At The Van.
We made sure to have some relaxing time at the caravan. Altough to be honest, my other half did quite a lot of tidying and sorting of the garden. We are definitely not gardeners! Unluckily for us ,we inherited an overgrown tangle of spiky shrubs and a strange stumpery area with our pitch. The spiky bushes are huge space invaders and try their best to expand when our backs are turned. Out came the shears!
Chilling.
Lowther Castle.
Mum lives very near Lowther Castle & gardens so oneday we met up with family and paid an impromptu visit to the dramatic 19th century ruins. It had been a few years since we had all been there together, my niece and nephew are now teenagers and had to be coaxed into posing for family photos. 😜Anyway the Castle featured a Celebration In Gold Art Instillation on the South Lawn. 520 dyed golden yellow flags designed by artist Steve Messam waved in the wind. Visitors were encouraged to wander through them and that we did, whilst a brisk breeze whipped the flags into a celebratory frenzy. 💛 Yellow is a colour close to Lowther Castles heart, the extravagant Yellow Earl inherited the stately pile in its glory days, before squandering the entire family fortune. He was famed for his penchant for all things with a golden hue.
Lowther Castle, Penrith, Cumbria.
Keswick.
One of our favourite Lake District places to visit has to be the market town of Keswick which nestles alongside beautiful Derwent Water. Our dog Hugo loves it here too. The now usually slow & steady Black Labrador fairly dragged us to the lake for stick chasing and doggy paddles. 😁 Current Keswick cafe faves include Jaspers Coffee House on Station St ( doggy heaven) and Cafe HNW in Fitz Park ( scrumptious chocolate caramel slices).
Keswick, Cumbria.
Bolton Le Sands.
We usually make our way home via Kirkby Lonsdale but a curiously large sinkhole in the road near Devils Bridge had reportedly appeared. I persuaded Wil that a stop off by the sea would be a good idea instead. 👍 Bolton Le Sands near Morecambe on the Lancashire Coast has a small car park next to salt marsh , looking out over the bay. It’s a quiet spot far from the hustle & bustle of Morecambe. Take-away coffee & cake from Archers Cafe went down a treat. The cafe is part of the lovely Red Bank Farm Campsite, where we have stayed in the past.
sunshine and celandines 