Buttermere and beyond!

Another cracking day: Gatesgarth farm; Scarth Gap; Haystacks; Innominate tarn; Haystacks; Seat; High Crag; High Stile; Red Pike and back along the shores of Buttermere. Superb views and quite a challenging walk - lovely peregrine and lots of alpine and fir clubmoss.

Potfest in the Park, Hutton in the Forest.

Another great show - my favourite - the rockpool birdbath.

Rockpool bird bath...

Bowfell from Eskdale.

A superb, but long walk from the base of Hardknott pass, along the Esk and Lingcove beck; up to three tarns over Bowfell; down Yeastyrigg gill and back along Lingcove beck and the Esk. Lovely waterfalls and pools. The river was quite full after recent rains and paths at times damp. Splendid views from the tops. Rather hot, so the swim in Lingcove beck was ...shall we say 'rather fresh'!

Solway acrylics

A wet day so down to painting - this time in acrylic as it needs to dry for an exhibition at the end of August!

Skiddaw over Wedholme Flow 

Criffel from Mawbray 

North Plain farm - Bowness Common

First day of my holiday and it's drizzling in North Cumbria - typical! So, despite the drizzle walked out on the new board walk from North Plain Farm towards Rogersceugh farm - a cracking walk that will be repeated in sunnier conditions in the not too far off future. Only managed a southern hawker and a few moths; meadow browns; small and green-veined whites.

Summer exhibition - Mae's tearooms, Uldale.

Well finally my exhibition is up and I am really pleased by how well it has been received. Lovely to be able to see the felt balls out on display rather than in a plastic box! It's there for all of August so if you're passing.....

High summer moths ...

Lots of moths - these were from the night of Friday 22nd  - Saturday 23rd July.
....similar moths last night too.

Left hand column: barred yellow; garden tiger; drinker; lychnis, common rustic and clouded border moths.
Right hand column; mother of pearl; poplar hawk; swallowtail and large emerald; burnished brass moths. 

Adders at Bowness on Solway.

Drone flies at Bowness on Solway NNR

A lovely walk out up to Rogersceugh Farm and then onto the extended board walk across Bowness moss. Once again the large drone flies were out ...and when I came to try and identifying them the google search comes up with my same walk that we did today one year ago - only one day off being to the day...and the photos are more or less identical!

Flowery mosaic - Eycott Hill

Views from Eycott.

Bog asphodel; marsh cinquefoil; ragged robin and harebells.

Too hot for Catbells!

Well we set off with 4 litres of 'dog water', but Rocky soon made it clear that the preferred activity for the afternoon was lying under the bracken in the shade. We therefore decided to follow the path along the side of Catbells rather than slogging up it in the heat, before dropping down to the shores of Derwentwater and a paddle ...oh and an ice-cream in Portinscale too! So, so lucky to live somewhere where you finish work and do this!

Derwentwater, harebells and parsley fern. 

Flowery meadows

Spectacular flowers at Latterbarrow today.

Large skipper and comma

Foulshaw Moss - new boardwalk

The boardwalk is now complete and gives good vantage points for both the osprey nest and over ponds for dragonflies and damselflies. 

Small skipper 

Blue-tailed; large-red and azure damselflies. Common and black darters. 

Gait Barrows reserve - dark-red helleborines and high brown fritillaries.

Not the perfect day for photography, but with a better forecast for south Cumbria than north Cumbria we headed to Gait Barrows in hope of helleborines and fritillaries. We found both ; the dark-red helleborines now just past their best and the broad-leaved in bud. We saw several, what we presume to be high brown fritillaries, being blown at high speed through the canopy and one rather tatty specimen on the ground. Lovely limestone pavement and lots of rockrose and thyme.

Limestone pavement.

Gatekeeper, high brown fritillary and grayling butterflies ; damselfly and darter. 

Hart's tongue fern; dark-red helleborines; herb robert; rose of sharon and maiden hair spleenwort. 

Bloody crane's-bill felt ball.

Part of my series of felt balls - bloody crane's-bill ....just need to find a clump that is still out so that I can photograph it in situ!

Roadside verges - summer flowers

I love the tumbling colour of the roadside verges at this time of year in North Cumbria. Meadow sweet, tufted vetch, ragged robin, sneezewort, thistles, honeysuckle, dog roses ....and more!

Carrock Fell and High Pike

A lovely walk with Molly and Rocky - weather was nothing special but as always, the scenery was great and nice to see ringlet butterflies and bog asphodel out.

More Costa Rican wildlife from Molly's trip...

Newcastle Rock and Gem Show 2016

A good day out, including a visit to the rock and gem show ...

An interesting display of minerals...

I don't really like beads, but this was a superb display of un-polished beads. 

Costa Rican frogs....

Some of Molly's lovely frog pictures.....

...and a poison arrow frog! 

Manchester University Costa Rica expedition.

Well Molly clearly had the most fantastic time in Costa Rica, on her end of second year field trip! Just a few pictures to whet the appetite!

Molly's project studied the plant preferences of
Costa Rican amphibians in different habitats.

Views, butterflies, sloths, basilisks, frogs and more to come!