I’m still half chuckling about the newly tarmac-ed verges from my June update, but only half chuckling in despair more than anything. However, my July update is here - and later than usual, and for no good reason I can think of right now, other than it just never happened before now.
The hedgerows and verges were alive with colour as you’d expect from a summer month - I need to identify some of the plants I’ve included here, and while my phone suggests this might be lesser burdock, I’m not sure and I don’t trust what it’s telling me for the second photo at all. However both had great form and structure and the camera has captured these well.
It was great to walk alongside the crops whilst walking across the Red Gutter path, though I suspect they had some more growing to do after these photos was taken.
For the first time we walked further along the river to find the weir having heard of its existence on a local Facebook group - and it wasn’t that far from where we’d walked on previous outings, just along rather than up. It was suitably signposted and behind barbed wire, as it should be.
Retracing our steps, again we decided on another first for us as the weather was so good. Instead of heading up towards the Fosse Road we double backed on ourselves along the river path and past where the Red Gutter path brings us out. It looked as if we would be able to walk all the way along the river, up to Church Lane which is also one of our regular walks from home. And if we couldn’t then we’d turn back and work it out which of our usual routes we’d take if we needed to.
As it turned out we didn’t need to, though as we entered this wooded area we were less sure, but soon enough the path opened up into a field of golden crops.
The haw berries were already making their presence felt, alongside the poppies growing in the golden crops.
Next we walked past masses of these pretty and almost orchid-like flowers - it’s another one that I’m not sure I’m trusting my phone on, but the phone says it’s a Policeman’s Helmet, which is an invasive species. I’m not sure, but if you know I’d be pleased if you could share.
And then we were back at the end of Church Lane, the small wooden jetty which we’d first spotted last month was out of sight again, but now we know it’s there we knew where to look.
This view as we headed back to the village is one that never fails to make my heart sing, well in the dry weather anyway!
Thanks for joining me this month, I’ll be back to sharing the next instalment around the third week of the month, but in the meantime if you enjoyed this post you may also like some previous series where I revisit the same place - there’s my year in Greenwich Park and remember that time when I followed a tree?