Daisies and buttercups abound on our unmown lawn and along the verges Oxeye daisies or Moonpennies dance in the gentle breeze looking as if they are lapping up the heat of the sun.
Oxeye daisies were my mother's favourite flower so I always think of her at this time of year.
Such a pretty flower. Known also as Dog Daisy and Moon daisy or moonpenny.
It's been so hot I haven't wanted to sit at the computer for long enough to write a blog post or to travel very far to take photos.
Last week, before the weather got too hot, we walked around the lake at Trentham and also the new Meadow Walk at the Monkey Forest.
It was mostly about new young life in both places.
Also spotted
We've discovered a new on-line site called BirdNerd which can identify bird song in different places. As there are some birds I can't hear anymore unless they are very close it's an interesting thing to have.
Whilst it has been so hot we've been taking early walks locally across the various green areas we can easily walk to from home. This morning by the fishing pond we heard
On Sunday morning we ventured across Fenton Fields and heard many different birds including Skylark, Whitethroat, Song Thrush, Blackcap, Goldfinch, Wren, Greenfinch and Sedge warbler.
At home in the garden we hear mostly Blackbirds, Goldfinches, Crows and Wood Pigeons.
Gosh, this has become a long post. I was going to include photos from a very dry garden but perhaps I'll do that next time.
A lovely post and photos Rosie. Its been such a good year for ox-eye daisies. You are right it is too hot to walk far out in the blazing sun. My son and I went to the National Herb Centre last weekend and the heat was unbearable as we tried to walk our usual nature trail - we ended up in the woods there for the shade!
ReplyDeleteI love the bug hotel shaped like a bottle oven - its a brilliant idea especially in your area with the potteries :)
I can't hear bird song anymore either with my hearing. I can hear wood pigeons and tawny owls though and that is about it. It is SO frustrating. That app looks a brilliant thing - B has one on his phone although I am not sure which one it is but he often uses when we are out and about.
Take care in the heat.
Thank you RR, the daisies have been wonderful and have filled the verges now the cow parsley has gone. We walked in woods today for shade too, I'm afraid if it's too hot I can't cope with it anymore. I loved the bottle oven bug hotel and I'm glad we ventured into the monkey forest so we could find it and also the new meadow walk. I'm sad too about not being able to hear many birds but I did hear the wren and the chiff chaff as they were almost overhead, also a blackcap today, B perhaps has the Merlin App, although I think there are several of them. I too can hear blackbirds if I'm outside and the wood pigeons and herring gulls which we have around here. Stay safe in the heat:)
DeleteSome lovely morning walks not far from home & the daisies are certainly soaking up your sunshine, though pity it is so hot for you. I love hearing birdsong/sounds & delight in our butcher birds call when they are around along with kookaburras & other natives. All those babies are so cute. Thanks for sharing your outings, stay cool & take care. Hugs from down under.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan, by the time we acclimatise to the heat it changes again. I must try and listen to the call of a butcher bird, I have heard a kookaburra. It was lovely to see the young water birds and the little macaque monkey. You too take care:)
DeleteWhat a lovely walk. I always think that walks like this are usually for free and you get so much from them! I love the Ox Eye Daisies and they are so easy to grow from seed. Amazing to see the Treecreeper, too! 😁
ReplyDeleteSorry..forgot to log in…that was Sal! 😂
DeleteThank you Sal, the Oxeye daisies are lovely at the moment and it is good that we have local walks, even though in the city there are plenty of green areas. I was lucky to be able to get a photo of the tree creeper, usually they move so quickly:)
DeleteThe monkeys are a treat to see.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to see them, such a long time since e last visited there:)
DeletePeek season at the moment. Love the daisies and the small copper. The sun has been so strong recently you are very wise with your sun protection. Have a lovely weekend looking out for all those birds. B x
ReplyDeleteThank you B, hope you too have a lovely weekend. I don't think I'd seen a small copper before, lots of butterflies in a local meadow near woodlands yesterday, browns - they didn't stay still long enough to identify them. It's cloudy and cooler here today, thank goodness but still no much needed rain:)
DeleteUsed to have a good number of daisies in the flower beds, but they got too tall and limp and took over the other flowers, so I got rid of them. They are pretty, but I need a space where they could be contained. Love poppies, such a bright pretty color. Looks like a good place to walk, get exercise and see lots of interesting things.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandy. We have a patch of larger daisies in the garden under a tree, they do spread quite a bit. Hardy geraniums too spread so much although I love them. The poppy flowers seem to last for just a day we have some self seeded ones in with the potatoes. I try to do a few thousand steps each day if I can:)
DeleteSo surprising to read about the heat in England, while here in West Virginia it has been at least 10 degrees cooler than usual. Some nights are in the 40'sF. I love the name moon-eye daisies! We are having a good year with them too.
ReplyDeleteThank you Granny Sue it has been so warm here over the last couple of weeks by the time we get used to it the weather changes again - we do need rain for the gardens. The daisies are lovely here at the moment in the verges and across the meadows, glad you have them too:)
DeleteMeadows are beautiful and magical. Mowing the path around our little garden meadow this morning I was followed by a Robin never more than three foot away. Robert 🐰
ReplyDeleteHello Robert, good to hear that you feel well enough to mow in the garden. Best to get things done early before the heat rises. Robins are such friendly little birds around humans aren't they, sometimes blackbirds too. Cooler here today and quite cloudy, maybe somethings will get done in the garden, I can hear mowers down the street as I type this. Take care:)
DeleteYou've been on some very pretty walks, great to see all the daisies and the baby birds - I wasn't expecting a monkey though! I must have a go with Bird Nerd as I'm not very good at identifying birdsong. I could hear a hoity, toity, toity the other day and typed it into Google and was informed it was a coaltit. Ha! 😊
ReplyDeleteThe daisies have been lovely this year. There are three or four baby macaques at the Monkey Forest all out in the open and being looked after by their parents or older siblings, they have a lovely wild and wonderful space to roam in. I love your description of the coaltit song, we make up words for bird song too. You will enjoy birdnerd there is one also called merlin but only on iphones:)
DeleteYour un-mown lawn is looking lovely. Mine is mainly long grasses! I've been spending more time indoors than out as I dislike the heat. That's a lovely photo across Fenton Fields. x
ReplyDeleteOurs is mainly long grasses too but so many different varieties, plus buttercups. We seeded the area with corn cockle, corn marigold and corn flowers but only the corn cockle has produced any flowers. I too have to hide away when it is very warm. We are lucky to have the fields for walking just five minutes walk away from home. Simone, I'm still not able to leave comments on your blog but I have been reading and looking at your film clips:)
DeleteHi Rosie. I don't know why you can't leave a comment on my blog. It is probably silly old Blogger just playing up! Thank you for reading and watching! x
ReplyDelete