Shady

During very hot weather I always have an overwhelming desire to head for water and am fortunate to live close to the River Nene. In the cool of the early morning, dew-soaked grass cooled my feet and the myriad shades of green soothed my mind. The air was heavy with the medicinal scents of Meadowsweet and White Willow while the low sun embellished the riverside flower-spikes of Marsh Woundwort and Purple Loosestrife with silver rims, and turned spider's webs on the bridges into delicate filigree.


There was a constant chorus of birdsong - mostly Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat, but with the addition of a raucous party of five Ring-necked Parakeets, a Cetti's Warbler and a pair of Cuckoo - so wonderful to hear the strange bubbling call of the female. There was also a song I didn't immediately recognise - possibly Lesser Whitethroat.

The heat built during the course of the day, but our ponds provide a rather smaller oasis of green. I watched six species of dragonfly foraging round the garden, including Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly (still laying eggs), Ruddy Darter, Banded Demoiselle and the first Southern Hawker of the year who flashed through at some speed.