Summer memories

With the bright, low sun penetrating the edges of our Chiltern woods at the moment, with eyes slightly screwed up, you can imagine it's summer. To emphasise this, in a few places there are stands of one of our Chilterns specialists - Wood Barley, Hordelymus europaeus. This grass stays remarkably stiff and erect well into the winter months. It is a nationally scarce species, but is abundant around the nature reserve and neighbouring woods on the chalk hills. It's lovely screwing up my eyes and remembering this lovely grass flowering in the summer...but the bitter cold soon gives the game away.