Wander in Wet Woods

 

Acorn advance

A meeting place to exchange Christmas presents in, as they say 'a Covid secure manner' presented an opportunity to take a wander through Serpentine Woods near Kendal and potentially a journey through the alphabet.  A map and clues exist as to what one might find however we were rather unprepared, but happily not for the weather, being kitted out with wellies and waterproofs . The first sculpture was easy to spot for it starts the path in the photo above and  A -"will grow one day into a great tree"

"B has he most beautiful wings you will see".  The winter trees form a nice backdrop for this colourful butterfly

Count the legs and what do we see a centipede on a tree.  Fun fact you'll never find one with 100 legs because they have an odd number of pairs and those legs move fast.

but not as fast as a deer.  We spotted three more letters on the alphabet but missed two had a distraction or two and the rest and as Eric Morecambe said of his piano playing "they are the right notes but not necessarily in the right order"

Despite the dull day there was still colour in the woods. This fern was almost like a Christmas display. Ferns absorb nutrients from their leaves before shedding them and all the nutrients have been taken underground.  The snowy white fonds remains until they die and disappears.

Oh look we have found a ladybird. Hurray.

And a pheasant, not the weather for sitting.

Nature can produce her own living sculptures.  This Burr Knot almost seems to have little clasped hands beneath it.

Mr Rat with his curly tail.

Trying to work out how to make a door.  There are quite a few of these shelters throughout the woods and every one had to be  one had to be explored by a tiny person.

Eventually ending with a ring of the Jingle Bells.   We saw a lot of the alphabet but not all and one (the umbrella) we were told by a friendly passer by was undergoing repairs.

Time to go our separate ways home and leave the wood behind, it is a popular place for a stroll with dogs or children.  Here is someone who visited in Summer although the weather looks similar.

Summer in Willeskop Nature Reserve

Hollandse IJselpad Sign

A little bit of watery delight in the Green Heart of the Netherlands Willeskop Nature Reserve invites one in.

We gazed across the lake at the hundreds of water birds while a pair of hen harriers wheel overhead.

The path leads us through trees and dozens of red admiral butterflies most hiding in plain sight as they merge with the tree bark.

Past wild flowers the bright light of high summer making a large white butterfly almost transparent.

Greylag Goose

The lake comes into view again

If you live in a land flat as a pancake then build your own viewpoint. A tower to take in the polder landscape

Irresistible to visit

Yes you can see for miles and miles

Wave to the dog walkers.

Return to earth and cross over to the other side of the lake

We were fascinated by the integrated step stile on the gates.

Enjoy the shade of the trees

Try to pass by a pair of swans taking their ease on the path with their lone chick, one swan hisses a scary warning. I would guess they have lost all their other offspring so of course highly protective of their only child. Eventually they take to the water and we continue on our way.

Go over a bridge

and yes another one

This is a one way bridge for the farmer to gain access to his fields.

These cows were mooing to their compatriots two lines of water away

Who were calling back, probably wishing there were cow bridges.

The polder windmill at rest no raging torrents to move.

Our enjoyable nature walk now comes to an end.

Blue Tailed Damselfly

A blissful time in the polder landscape.

Willeskop Nature Reserve footpaths 

Spring Butterfly

The first butterfly of the year one sees is supposed to tell what type of summer is in store for us all.  A yellow butterfly will forecast a long hot summer but alas it seems as though it might not be what we will experience as my first sighting was of this Small Tortoiseshell taking sustenance from the catkin nectar of a Goat Willow.  It is a pretty sight and deserves its Latin name of Aglais urticae (urticae meaning 'nettle' as the stinging nettles is where it will usually be seen) but Aglais, meaning splendor, was one of the Three Graces, admired for her beauty and is the personification of grace and beauty.  I can just imagine our Small Tortoiseshell flitting around this Spring garden 

By Sandro Botticelli - http://www.googleartproject.com/collection/uffizi-gallery/artwork/la-primavera-spring-botticelli-filipepi/331460/, Public Domain, Link

which shows the Three Graces on the left as imagined by Sandro Botticelli in his painting 'Primavera' or Spring with Flora the goddess of flowers in the floral dress sowing her magic.

Zoom

Briefly settling among the Rose of Sharon or Hypericum is a Meadow Brown butterfly which are on the wing from June to August but before I could zoom in any further it had flown on its busy way to make the most of summer.  These little brown butterflies are quite similar to the Gatekeeper butterfly but can be distinguished by the fact that they have only one dot in their wing 'eye' whereas the Gatekeeper has two.

I imagine the dots on these rhododendron would identify them but all I know is I thought them pretty as I zoomed in for a closer look.

This is the nearest I could find to a letter Z in my collection for the last letter of the alphabet

which warns that one could by zapped by electricity if vaulting over the fence, not only that but the double helix sign warns that the "premises are marked by a security system using a DNA system" so when laying comatose or dead  perhaps one would be adding even more DNA.

Stay safe, heed the warning, but don't ignore the post box for sending words on paper 

but for those in electronic format next week's post will be in the new home of ABC Wednesday hosted by Melody so the invite is for everyone to zoom over there and zap in your entry on July the 12th and begin the  21st Round of ABC Wednesday.  

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet this week  for the last time at Z here

Flowers in Season

Taking a stroll through a summer garden with a seat placed to enjoy the flowers and the day.

Sizergh Castle

But the flowers don't only live in gardens,  here they tumble down steps

the little daisies flowering in profusion. Those who know tell me their name is actually Erigeron karvinskianus, maybe daisy is easier to say.

Flowering Currant

 A bee immerses itself in these April flowers and almost becomes part of them, just the start of its busy year.

This was the last butterfly I saw last year, a small tortoiseshell making the most of the late flowers in October.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at F here

Small Tortoiseshell

Small tortoiseshell enjoying the  unusually warm October weather amongst the flowers.

which are as brightly coloured as it is.

Soon it will be time for winter sleep and a dreaming of cloud flowers.