Flood barrier collapse...

Today's high tide finally overwhelmed the crumbling flood bank on the River Medway at Wouldham, adjacent to Starkeys, today...

Flood wall collapse at Wouldham...

This drone footage shows the extensive flooding of the fields in the area...

I guess this still won't stop developers building houses on it in a few years time...

Cloudscapes...

 A couple of pictures taken at Ranscombe Farm today...

Ranscombe...

A couple of shots from a short walk around the reserve today... 

Bush Valley as seem from Brockles...

The Medway valley, as seen from Nine Acres...

Common Restharrow.....

Harvest time at Ringshill Farm...

Cuxton from Ringshill farm...

Further down the valley the bales had already been gathered...

Cuxton from Ringshill Farm...

 

A Comet over Cuxton...

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), as seen from the edge of Six Acres, looking north at around 23.30 on the 17th (last night).  Combination of several  5s and 15s exposures at F6.3, ISO 400...

Kitchen Field...

Kitchen Field from the top of Brockles...

Kitchen Field...

Kitchen Field...

Poppies and Chamomile...

The poppies are finally giving way to Chamomile, which at the moment is giving a wonderful red and white contrast. There are several species of Chamomile and Mayweed, but the prevalent one here is called Stinking Chamomile. When the flowers are crushed they have an unpleasant odour and are currently giving Kitchen Field a smell rather like dogshit, which of course is perfectly normal for Ranscombe these days, unfortunately...

Marbled White...

Vipers Bugloss...

Ranscombe...

A short stroll up to Brockles...

View from Terry Sutton's memorial bench at Brockles

Towards Upper Bush...

Poppies at Kitchen Field...

Small Tortoiseshell...

Meadow Clary...

Twenty Acres...

Looking south from the eastern edge of Twenty Acres...

Luddesdown vineyard...

 ...although "vineyard" seems a bit of a misnomer for fields full of ugly steel wire, weeds and patches of dead, chalky soil. Still, it's early days I suppose...

View from Wrenches Shaw towards Luddesdown church...

View from Wrenches Shaw towards Cobham...

Court Lodge and Luddesdown Church from Wrenches Shaw...

Common Spotted Orchid...

There is a now-neglected farm track leading up from the bottom of Bavins, where a large number of Common Spotted orchids have popped up.  I counted over 50 in about 100 yards.

Track down Bavins Bank

Wildflower bonanza...!

Plantlife seems to have pushed the boat out this year on the wildflower front.  Longhoes and Kitchen Field are looking spectacular...

Vipers Bugloss, Longhoes...

Buttercups and Bugloss...

Vipers Bugloss, Longhoes...

Poppies, Cobham Field...

Small Tortoiseshell...

Small Tortoiseshell...

Female Silver-Washed Frittilary...

Speckled Wood...

Poppies and cattle, Twenty Acres...

Bee Orchid...

Bee Orchid...

Poppystorm, Kitchen Field...

With Covid lockdown in full swing, people seem to have come from miles around to see our wildflowers. Unfortunately, there seems to be a contingent of ignorant, selfish chavs among the visitors. I witnessed a young women and her friend, armed with two enormous St. Bernards that were off the lead and trampling the poppies flat while the owners took pictures of them. When I suggested that they leave a few poppies for others to see, I was angrily told to "mine my own faackin' business, we can do wot we faaacking' like, see..."

In my experience of Ranscombe these days, it's the 80% of dog owners that give the other 20% a bad name, unfortunately. Ho hum... 

Poppies, Kitchen Field...

Poppies, Kitchen Field...

Southern Field...

Moonrise over Wouldham Common...

 

...as seen from North Halling...

Vines and vandalism...

Vine planting at Upper Bush...

..and so it begins...

Bush Valley ploughed...

At least it wasn't deep-ploughed and turned into a desert like Luddesdown was. Footpaths have also been preserved.  Perhaps Vineyard Farms have learned a bit since first arriving on the scene...

Church Hill, nettles cut down...

Unfortunately, the lack of wildlife concern is not confined to Bush Valley. I appreciate that land has to be managed to stop becoming a bramble and hawthorn-choked wilderness, but I just wonder if the same ends could be achieved without purging the grasslands of any wildlife, particularly insects, which are having a hard enough time as it is. Last year we had the hawthorns cut back in March, thus eliminating the blossom for that year and and scaring away the nesting thrushes and blackbirds.  The grass was also cut back in June, right at the height of the butterfly season, thus destroying the colonies of Ringlets, Blues and Browns. This year, they have cut the nettles down in May, just at the time when the Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks are laying eggs. This is particularly grievous as the Small Tortoiseshells are becoming rare and were barely hanging on on the hill as it was.  Maybe they could just do the hack-backs in September/October instead...?

Peacock larvae on a patch of nettles the mower man missed...

Cuxton from Upper Church Hill...

Female Silver-washed Frittilary...

I saw a male in Mays Wood on the 19th (see last post).  I hope they can establish a colony there.

Underside, showing the silver bands that give the species its common name...