All of a Sudden, it's Summer

As the bluebells form seed heads, the next rush of flowers and blossom have appeared. The Broom has taken over from the more orange Gorse flowers.

Gorse orange on the left and broom yellow on the right. Both have been full of bees this spring.

The broom and the hawthorn give an eggy colour across the site.


The air if full of insects and bird song amongst the blossom



Early Purple Orchids

The first Dog Rose to appear


Gerrymander Speedwell nestled in the grass

 
Foxgloves are having a bit of a year. They first appeared in numbers when the gorse was removed and now form a forest on rocky outcrops amongst the Scots Pines.


The willow has been pushing out its seed looking like smoke on some days

And the Rowan  & Whitebeam flowers are across the site.



Holly Blossom

Cowslips and Bugle 
Buttercup and Cuckoo flower (Ladies Smock)  just as the cuckoos arrived


The trees are having a good start to the season with sunshine and rain although the temperatures have been low during spring with frost or near freezing over night until mid May.

Oaks are slow growing and this is the difference from left May 2025 and right May 2026. The tree is thriving and was donated by a local resident from an acorn propagated from their own sessile oak and was planted age 3 in 2023.

The Quaking Aspen have become well established and as I walk through I hear the fluttering of the leaves. This area will not need the bracken to be cut back now as the trees are established sufficiently to hold their own and will shade out the bracken over time.

The birch are also doing well (left) although here the bracken is still growing strongly so may need one bash when fully grown and then I think the trees will hold their own.


The Scots Pines keep thriving. They have grown all winter and now have put a real spurt on.

June 2025 on the left, same tree one year on




There has been a good success rate for trees and the ones that didn't thrive failed early on. This is an exception - an Aspen that was well above the tree guard and flourishing. It looks like something has eaten its bark after it put it leaves out this year. This is a reminder as to how well the tree guards are generally protecting the trees from mammals as this is the only one I have found that has failed at this late stage in this way. I did lose a couple of Aspens last summer to storms where they had grown fast and their main trunk snapped. I have added stakes to the larger ones and they have survived the winter and are stronger going into this year.



In June we have had some very hot and sunny days and then intense rain which is perfect growing weather. The grass and bracken are beginning to take over the paths and some of the areas where the trees have grown more slowly. Bracken cutting is due to start mid June and continue until late August. If we get another year of sunshine and rain like last year then the wood will really be established this year. 




 

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