Month six of my photographer’s nature journal.
A slight change this month. The lanes have changed from the frothy outpouring of the lacy cow parsley with the creamy-white blooms of the elderflower now in evidence and for a while they were glorious in pink and purple. Foxgloves, Red Campion and Valerian ruled the roads. Until the verge cutters came along and scythed it all to the ground.
So I popped over to the coast to capture nature along the cliffs of Cornwall and something I didn’t expect to see…
Lizard Peninsula (Kynance Cove)
Astonishingly, nearly half the British native flora can be found here, including fifty five rare and special species such as Twin-headed Clover (Trifolium bocconei) and Wild Chives (Allium schoenoprasum). Rare lichens also abound, including the beautiful Ciliate Strap Lichen (Heterodermia leucomela) and Golden Hair Lichen (Teloschistes flavicans).
I think these are some Ciliate Strap Lichens along with some pale grey crustose lichens.
I didn’t find any of the Golden-hair lichens, but I did find some pretty pink thrift, yellow kidney vetch ( Granny’s Pin-cushions, Lady’s Slipper, Lady’s Fingers, Woundwort, Butter Fingers, Lamb’s-foot) and Chamaemelum nobile (English Chamomile, Low Chamomile, Ground Apple, Roman Chamomile) as well as some Bird’s–foot–trefoil and pretty blue Sheep’s Bit, the tiny white flowers of Minuartia verna (Spring Sandwort, Vernal Stitchwort, Vernal Sandwort) and some purple flowering wild thyme. I was also lucky enough to be able to capture a photo of a Common Blue Butterfly as one came to rest on the clover close to my feet.
Some that I haven’t come across before are the delicate pink flowers, Centaurium erythraea – Common Centaury; the fluffy white Filipendula vulgaris – Dropwort or Fern-leaf Dropwort, which is like a miniature version of what I have growing in my garden; and that bright yellow (Genista tinctoria), Dyer’s Greenweed, or dyer’s broom, which at first I thought was bird’s-foot-trefoil until I studied the flower more carefully. Now that is apparently quite rare, though not here it seems.
I spent a good couple of hours simply wandering along the top of the cliffs here on a beautiful warm June day. And the surprise? An almost naked walker. I kid you not. After he passed by with a friendly “Good morning” I was left wondering how come the thong didn’t chafe him as he strode along the coastal path.
The Changing Seasons | June
Cornwall in Colours 
I hope the walker used sun cream!
He looked quite tanned all over already!
You checked then?
I checked to see what was holding that tiny triangle at the front on. Yes!
Lovely post. I am crazy about wild flowers and where better to look for them than the beautiful Lizard.
It is a lovely area that’s for sure. More wild flowers coming up soon from the north coast.
The names! The blue of that butterfly! And the splendid opening paragraph! All such pleasure on a rainy day. I love the way you appropriate the lanes.
Actually they haven’t scythed them down here yet so I might nip out and see what’s blooming while the weather holds. Not sure the plants here are used to such heat!
Please do! (I think I’ve been excommunicated from Reader. I haven’t been posting much, but I am posting.)
I notice that some posts don’t appear in the Reader until 24 hours after they have been posted. I usually scroll down a couple of days each night to check. I’ll pop over to yours and see what I am missing.
Thanks Meg. The butterflies are gorgeous but so very, very small.
Hehe. I was reveling in your beautiful photos with thoughts like “idyllic” and “so peaceful” going through my head. Now I need some mind bleach too. Thong wearing is pretty common here in summer — but on the beach!!!
I’m reminded of a TV ad that showed a young man in his very brief swimming trunks walking up the beach towards a shopping area. The voice-over intermittently says “togs”, “togs”, then as he emerges into the street the voice says “undies.” Context is everything.
Too right! Revealing enough down on the beach, but on the coastal path? Oh, well I guess I should be thankful he wasn’t completely nude.
Small mercies 🙂
Until I read Joanne’s comment above, I was wondering how you could be quick enough to get that wonderful photo of the beautiful blue butterfly but not one of a nearly naked walking man!! But I would rather see a butterfly, so perhaps it’s best you keep that one to yourself. 🙂
I will Carol. Some things are best unseen 🙂
hahaha, you made me laugh with the last paragraph. that must have been a sight. we had a few times naked cyclist in the center of Brussels (protesting/raising awareness of the safety on Brussels streets) but I never had the chance to see it in person). beautiful vegetation and a blue butterfly.
Wonderful descriptions, and change in the season. So many wild flower species, what a great place to ramble, besides the odd naturist!
The cliffs are lovely in spring and summer.