The Old Orchard

I love orchards; not neat, well-maintained orchards with trees in orderly lines, but old, country orchards. I like the erratically-spaced trees of differeent shapes and sizes, the overgrown grass and the branches covered in lichen. The old orchard at Buckland Abbey in West Devon has an ancient, timeless character. This year a path has been cut between the trees to create a butterfly trail. Apart from a few red admirals, there were not too many butterflies this morning. Perhaps, an appropriate nautical connection with a place that was once the home of the seafarer, Sir Francis Drake.