Darter

I took Pete to the Great Fen Joint Technical Advisory Committee this morning, and while he was stuck in a meeting, I had a couple of hours wandering round Woodwalton Fen NNR. It's a long time since I've visited in summer and I was surprised by the huge amount of flowering Frogbit and Bladderwort in the ditches. I was also really pleased to find Greater Water Parsnip and Marsh Pea (see extra), both of which are pretty rare. But in the end my favourite photograph was this female Ruddy Darter, partly because I love the texture of the stick she was resting on, accentuated by the lowish angle of the sun.

It was Lizzy's birthday today, which was celebrated quietly at home, at her request. She and Chris cooked a lovely Thai meal, Ben and I made a summer fruit and white chocolate cake for dessert, Alex made a pre-dinner mango daiquiri cocktail and Pete bought the wine. Sorted!