Merrals Shaw To Brockles...

A short walk in the summer sunshine...

Merrals Shaw to Brockles

Wildflowers in Meralls Shaw...

Agrimony..

Rosebay Willowherb

Great Willowherb

Self-Heal

 The path edges of the fields to the south of Ranscombe farm were also rich with colour...

Hawkweed and Purple Clover

Greater Knapweed

Mallow, Poppies and Hawkweed...

At the edge of Birch Wood...

Gatekeeper...

The upper side of the male Gatekeeper butterfly's forewings have a brown phermone-soaked bar, which is absent in the female.  I followed this one for a while to get a top-side view, eventually showing it to be a female.  These were probably the most numerous butterfly in the area on this particular day...

Gatekeeper (female)

Common Restharrow...

Nettle-leaved Bellflower...

Musk Mallow...

Although the sky mercifully clouded over a bit, Brockles fields still reflected the scorching conditions of the past month, with just a few stands of Ragwort to give colour...

Towards Cuxton from Brockles...

Church Hill to Merrals Shaw...

Some nice views of the effect the ever-changing seasons have on the local countryside were afforded during a gentle stroll from the top of Church Hill through Cuxton, up to Merrals Shaw wood near Ranscombe farm reserve...

The Hawthorns seem to have got a bit confused by the bitter cold snap at the end of February.  They usually bloom before the apple blossom, but this year they have erupted well after the apple blossom has finished...

Church Hill, hawthorn in blossom...

The hawthorns make a colourful contrast with the buttercups, which are still much in evidence on Church Hill...

Church Hill, looking towards the Medway Valley...

View from the North Downs Way at Ranscombe, across Longhoes

I wanted to see how the butterfly population was doing in Merrals Shaw, which has always been a good spot for woodland butterflies...

Green-Veined White...

Speckled Wood...

Small Tortoiseshell...

I also saw a few Brimstones, Orange Tips, Large and Small Whites and a solitary Peacock.  Some colourful flowers were on show as well...

Early Purple Orchid

Yellow Archangel