Honeysuckle flowers in the top of my Crab Apple tree

Well, June has almost gone already! The Summer Solstice has passed and days will gradually shorten, yet I still haven’t done with Spring. When lockdown occurred, it seemed like each week would crawl along as we eagerly awaited it’s end. Strangely though, the time has flown by even though each day seems like an eternity sometimes. Restrictions are easing, yet we still face the exact same threat with no cure or vaccine. The uncertainty and frustration encountered every day has taken it’s toll on my mental health and visits to the woods are even more valuable. So yesterday was an eagerly consumed day of just being there in nature, no jobs to do and just taking it all in slowly. The temperature has soared but the cooling effect of the trees losing water vapour act like a sort of fridge making it a comfortable place to be.

Everything is lush and verdant and growing rampantly now. My pond looks like strong tea due to the large amount of dead leaves. Mosquitoes danced on the surface and apart from millions of daphnia (water flea), there is little sign of other life. It’s too dark to thrive as a healthy pond but it serves it’s purpose as a drinking and bathing place for birds and other creatures.

The feral honey bees are still in my Little Owl nest box. I am surprised they have stayed so long, especially in this hot weather when they are most likely to swarm.

I met a young man, the son of one of my neighbours. He was on his own and had spent the night sleeping there without a tent or tarp. He was busy constructing his camp and we chatted for quite a while. He is learning bushcraft skills and seemed very keen, so I spent some time showing him how to make cordage from the fibres of nettles and brambles. He was amazed how strong it is and it was satisfying to know I had passed on a useful skill. I enjoyed his company.

Time for lunch and what can be more enjoyable than sitting in the sun, surrounded by birdsong and watching “woodland TV”? Most of my time was spent just wandering around with my camera looking for photo opportunities and seeing in detail what I have in my little woodland. This is some type of Campanula. Just an odd one growing next to a Hazel sapling.

For a while I have been looking for specimens of Field Maple around the town where I live. The leaves look similar to Sycamore but smaller and more rounded but as there is so much Sycamore around, hard to spot. They seem to be quite rare in my part of the country and it was a sort of mini-mission to find one. Well during our early lockdown days, I had been doing more walks in our local public woods and found one. I was pleased that I could tick that one off my list and having seen one in the flesh rather than books or internet, I can now ID them for definite. I was delighted to stumble across a medium sized one in my woods. Easily overlooked as it’s a part I don’t spend much time in. Searching around nearby I spotted another smaller one that had blown over but resprouted. Here’s the bigger one and a photo of it’s leaves. Notice the rounded lobes as opposed to pointy ones on Sycamore.

I left the woodland feeling peaceful and refreshed in mind and soul. What a lovely day! Can’t wait to get back there.