Dawyck

Considering it likely that the may be rhododendron and azaleas in flower, we took ourselves down to Dawyck. Greeted enthusiastically by the ticket desk, we were advised to see the shuttlecock ferns and the copper beeches - no mention of those blooms.

It was obvious how interesting are the ferns, growing like a shuttlecock but with their tips still curled (main photo) and these occur in plenty in various parts of the garden.

The other recommendation we caught lastly (extra, top right), having travelled up into the Tree Walk,  noticed peculiar new growth of horsetail (extra, bottom left), and caught the beginning of the Meconopsis flowering ((extra, bottom right) among many other interesting sights, including trilliums and a huge bumblebee among the bleeding heart.

We identified several birds by their song: the first cuckoo, nuthatch, chiffchaff plus the regulars and a woodpecker drumming and watched a thrush feeding (extra, top left). 

Then we took a visit to the Manor Valley, watching a mob of lambs career hither and yon, rabbits dashing to and fro, two horses, delivered by a horsebox, greeted warmly by all the others in their field before they all trooped to the next field. Country life at its best.