Prints of Portnahaven sunsets.

Well I finally got around to hand-colouring these and making cards from the image ....  With the weather being so good we've been out and about a lot, so all artwork has to be bits and bobs  - finishing off and cutting and pasting!

The image for the card had to have severely increased for saturation to get the sky to print as a sunset!  

Humphrey Head - a spectacular flowering

After Latterbarrow on to Humphrey Head. You could see a yellow haze on it as you approach by road from Allithwaite. The top was covered with buttercup and dandelion while the cliffs were: kidney vetch; common rockrose;  hairy rockrose and bird's-foot trefoil. The green-winged orchids were at their best too. Rather splendid!

Green-winged orchid.

Latterbarrow - more flowers!

The flowers were spectacular - especially the speedwell that thrived on the ant hills. ...and the fly orchid!

Latterbarrow Nature Reserve

Having visited Gait Barrows we then drove to Latterbarrow near Witherslack, in South Cumbria. Everything is out at once this year with it having been such a hard winter. The cowslips were just going over, some primroses remain and yet the fly orchids were gorgeous.

Greater butterfly; green-winged; early purple and fly orchids.

Dandelions, buttercups and cowslips.

Rockrose.

The reserve ...and a fly orchid.

Duke of Burgundy and other butterflies at Gait Barrows NNR.

We were so lucky to spot this little beauty and for it to settle reasonably close to us...

Duke of Burgundy

Green hairstreak .....

Speckled wood and peacock .....

Dingy skipper. 

Gait Barrows NNR - Lady's slipper orchid and more ...

With the weather having been super and we can't go down next weekend, we decided to risk a trip to Gait Barrows and were well rewarded. Obviously we hoped to see the Lady's slipper orchid and although it will be better next weekend there was one in full bloom. The other woodland plants were good - the lily of the valley was pungent and the herb Paris full out. The light was beautiful ...especially through the hart's tongue fern. Butterflies were on the wing, so that will be the next blog!

Pennard Castle, Three Cliff's Bay, Swansea.

The final of Tom's photographs from his walk at the weekend. Pennard Castle had to be abandoned in the fourteenth century due to sand encroachment!