Annual Cuxton bell-ringer's outing...

This year saw the crew visiting a selection of bell towers in the Thames Valley region.  First port of call was St. Mary's at Winkfield...

St. Mary's, Winkfield

The church aisle is rather unusual as a row of roof supports runs down its centre.  Apparently, bridal couples have to walk down it separately...

Aisle, St. Mary's Winkfield (with One Man and His Dog)...

Nave, St. Mary's Winkfield

Next stop, All Saints at Maidenhead...

All Saints, Maidenhead...

The high-walled interior is rather splendid...

All Saints, Maidenhead...

All Saints, Maidenhead...

All Saints, Maidenhead...

Crypt brass, All Saints, Maidenhead...

Lunch was at Henley-On-Thames, followed by a ringing session at the Church of St. Mary The Virgin...

St. Mary the Virgin, Henley-on-Thames...

The church itself is quite close to the River Thames...

River Thames from Henley, looking north...

River Thames from Henley, looking south...

This is another church blessed with a high-ceilinged interior...

St. Mary the Virgin, Henley-on-Thames...

Stained glass, St. Mary the Virgin, Henley-on-Thames...

On to St. Lawrence at Waltham...

St. Lawrence, Waltham...

...and. to end a long day, a visit to All Saints at Binfield...

All Saints, Binfield...

All of the folk we met at all of the towers were wonderfully friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.  Our thanks to all of them for helping to make our outing so enjoyable.

My garden...

We let the bottom half of our garden "go wild", which means I only have to hack it back once a year at the end of August.

Ox-eye daisies, Kidney Vetch, Bird's-Foot Trefoil, Hedge Bedstraw, Narrow-Leaved Plantain are well-established, with Wild Carrot and Black Medick coming along later.  This year a heavy crop of Yellow Rattle has sprung up.  Yellow Rattle is hemiparasitic and lives off the roots of other plants and grasses. It can weaken grasses and clear room for other plants, which in theory should be good.

This summer has seen some interesting orchids spring up...

Man Orchids...

Common Twayblade..

Pyramidal Orchids..

I am told that Man Orchids are quite rare but we have half a dozen or so, though this is the first year we've seen them. I have yet to see them anywhere else around here, but they must be lurking somewhere.  Similarly, I've yet to see this colourful member of the daisy family on my walks around the local countryside...

Fox-and-Cubs (Orange Hawkbit)

In terms of unique occurrences, the chives in the vegetable patch attracted a fresh-looking Dark Green Fritillary, a butterfly I have yet to see anywhere around here other than in my garden...

Dark Green Fritillary

Dark Green Fritillary (underside, showing its signature colouration)

Butterflies I regularly see in my garden (at the right times of year for them) otherwise reflect the local species variety pretty well.  These are:

Small White
Large White
Green-Veined White
Orange Tip
Brimstone
Marbled White
Common Blue
Holly Blue
Speckled Wood
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Gatekeeper
Peacock
Red Admiral
Comma
Small Tortoiseshell

More occasional visitors include:

White Admiral
Small Copper
Brown Argus
Silver-Washed Fritillary (and now the Dark Green Fritillary)

The occasional Silver-Washed Fritillary or White Admiral come down from the woods to visit a small patch of bramble blossom in my front garden for some reason...

Silver-Washed Fritillary (female)

Silver-Washed Fritillary, showing the signature silver streaks on its underside

Although the cold snap in late February/early March set the emergence of our summer butterflies back by about three weeks, the recent spell of hot weather seems to have accelerated the life-cycles of those that are on the wing.  The White Admirals nectar from bramble, which damages their wings after a while. Even though White Admirals can usually be found on the wing until late August, some are already looking decidedly tatty, as this garden visitor shows...

White Admiral

Rochester Wood to Luddesdown...

There is a farm track that runs around the edge of Stonyfield Wood to the bottom of Longbottom Bank. Climbing back up the valley, between Gag Plantation and Rochester Forest, leading out to Halling Wood, through Bushy Wood, Brazenden Wood, Scrubs Wood and eventually to the top of Wrenches Shaw by Bassett's Seat.  There is a public footpath that short-cuts the journey up and down the valley by going straight through Rochester Forest, but I prefer to "go off-piste" as the edges of the woods offer much more by way of wildlife to see than the rather gloomy woodland interior.

This is my favourite walk, and the secluded rides are home to sometimes spectacular numbers of summer butterflies and a huge variety of woodland plants, not to mention the spectacular views across the valley towards Luddesdown and Cobham.

The cold snap in March has set the woodland butterflies back a bit, so I was a bit surprised to see something flying strongly down the path from Stonyfield Wood.  This turned out to be a moth rather than a butterfly, but still none the less interesting for that...

Speckled Yellow moth...

There weren't too many butterflies about, but this Green-Veined White was enjoying a drink from some Bugle blossom...

Green-Veined White butterfly

The Columbines were out, in various colours...

Pink Columbine (Aqualegia)

Blue Columbine (Aqualegia) with wild strawberry (small white flower, upper right)

Other wild flowers were putting on a good show.  All common species maybe, but it's good to be able to put a name to them as old friends...

Common Fumitory

Common Mallow

Creeping Buttercup

Doves-Foot Cranesbill...

The hawkweeds are common wildflowers related to the dandelion, but comprise of numerous different species that are difficult to tell apart.  I think this one is Smooth Hawks-Beard, but someone more knowledgeable than me may know better...

Hawksbeard (?)

Sanicle

Yellow Pimpernel

The leaves of Greater Burdock were becoming apparent everywhere in the woods...

Burdock...

Looking out across Cutter Ridge valley from Bassett's Seat, it was striking how the farmland was greening up, even compared with only a week ago...

To Luddesdown, from Bassett's Seat...

To Cobham, from Bassett's Seat...

Down on Cutter Ridge Road, this member of the Viburnum family was in bloom in the hedgerows...

Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus)

Wrenches Shaw to Bush Road...

Spring turns to early summer and the wild flowers become more numerous and varied...

Sweet Woodruff

This member of the bedstraw family, with its distinctive whorl of green leaves, was blooming at the edge of Wrenches Shaw, up by the Bassett's Seat overlooking Luddesdown...

Luddesdown from Bassett's Seat...

The fields are starting to green up from their prairie-like appearance of just a few short weeks ago...

Towards Cobham from Bassett's Seat

Walking down Bowman's Hill to the junction of Warren Road with Cobhambury Road, the magnificent oak on the corner had transformed its appearance...

Oak - Warren Road

Walking down Warren Road to Bush Road, the roadside wild flowers were putting on a colourful show...

Bladder Campion...

Green Alkanet...

The blue Ground Ivy and White Dead-Nettle made a striking contrast in several areas...

Ground Ivy and White Dead-Nettle...

Wild Mignonette..

 One of the fields at the top of Bush Road to the north had acquired an unusual blue dusting...

Phacelia field...

This was down to a crop of Phacelia, a widely-used "green manure" that gives soil coverage to otherwise bare ground, and which can be ploughed in prior to commercial sowing...

Phacelia...

On the roadside verges, Cow Parsley was ubiquitous...

Cow Parsley...

A magnificent Lilac bush was in full bloom at the bottom of Upper Bush Road...

Lilac...