Perennial Flax

The thermometer hit 31 degrees in Wandlebury Country Park today - really too hot for surveying grasslands, but fortunately there were shady spots to retreat to when it all became too much. The chalk of the Gog Magog Hills supports a colourful flora, including sheets of the nationally scarce Perennial Flax. The UK has its own endemic subspecies and the largest populations occur in this part of Cambridgeshire. The flowers are such a perfect shade of blue...

We were on our way home before the storms arrived - some truly torrential downpours. This evening's sky confirmed a change in the weather to cooler, more changeable conditions, which will be a relief for many.