Stormy Skies Over Ranscombe...

 Colourful late evening clouds...

Southern Ranscombe...

 A few shots from a stroll around and about the southern part of the reserve in the autumn sunshine...

Mill Hill...

Upper Bush from Mill Hill...

Looking south from Brockles...

Beeches at Brockles...

Beeches at Brockles...

Towards Kitchen Field...

Kitchen Field...

Copse at Kitchen Field...

Towards Cuxton from First Fiance Field...

Bush Valley from the top of Barrow Hill...

Mays Wood....

Ranscombe Reserve...

First Fiance Field (above Forge Cottage...)

Cattle in Brockles,..

Yellow Wort...

Agrimony...

Pyramidal orchid...

Bee orchid. Not many about this year...

Faint Cirrus radiatus clouds over Ranscombe...

Ox-Eye daisies...

Ox-eye Daisies...

Poppies, Kitchen Field - not quite the show we had last year, but still very pretty...

Hawksbeard in flower, Little North Dean field, looking east

Hawksbeard, Little North Dean field, looking west...

Ranscombe Reserve...

 A walk around the reserve today.  Just the one dog attack today...

Birds Foot Trefoil...

Cobham Field...

Kitchen Field...

Kitchen Field...

Longhoes...

Strictly speaking, the name "Longhoes" is that of the strip of woodland to the north of this field, which (in 1839) rejoiced in the name of "Prebles" (the western half being called Further Prebles ,with the eastern half called Nether Prebles).  Everyone calls both the field and the woods "Longhoes" now. Whatever you call it, the recent wet weather is helping it to green up quite nicely since its late ploughing in April.  It looks like a lot of poppies are coming through, presumably seeded by Plantlife...

Rock Rose at Longhoes...

Twenty Acres... 

Southern Valley (Nether Great Bottoms...) 

Advertising hoarding for Lower Bush Alpacas...

I had always thought that the track around Ranscombe reserve was called the Cuxton Community Heritage Trail, but it seems to have been recently adopted by Jon and Jameela as the "Alpaca Trail", presumably with the blessing of Plantlife.  This seems a little bit cheeky to me, but you'd have to have a heart of stone not to appreciate the work these guys do with autistic kids, who seem to develop a special bond with Jon and Jameela's docile woolly friends.  So best of luck to them.

Maybe our new neighbours at Vineyard Farms could spare them a few acres of the 1500 they now have over the road from Forge Cottage, or maybe let them have a trail up through Upper Bush valley.

That would be a nice gesture. But I'm not holding my breath...

Ranscombe Reserve via Lower Bush...

Bores Hole...

Dean Farm...

Barrow Hill, Bush Valley...

Lower Bush....

Brockles, view from Terry Sutton's Bench... 

Upper Bush from Brockles...

Riggalls Court from Brockles...

Kitchen Field...

Twenty Acres...

Tuggs...

Upper Bush from Mill Hill...

Mill Hill bridge

 

Up to Brockles via Ranscombe..

Blossom, Whiteleaves...

Nether Bottoms from Red Soils field...

Stubble, Park Field towards Ranscombe Farm...

Green-Veined White...

Stitchwort...

Cobham Field, looking east...

Wild Cherry blossom...

Hornbeams, Cobham path

Last season's Chestnut leaves...

Cobham Path...

Colts Foot seed heads, Kitchen Field...

Dandelions, Brockles...

Beeches, Brockles...

Bush Valley from Brockles...

Upper Bush from Brockles...

Riggalls Court from Brockles...

The view from Terry Sutton's memorials bench...

Upper Bush from Mill Hill...