The weather has turned remarkably warm, apparently it was 25 degrees in East Sussex so everyone is out having barbecues; naturally alone in their back garden and not on the beach! This welcome change has had quite an impact on the countryside as we saw when we walked down to Fishbourne and back.

It was low tide, the acres of mud visible are as a result of a particularly low tide. The moon was just about as large as it
ever gets and called a “Pink Moon”, being particularly close to Earth. We saw this the night before which was quite dramatic as well as Venus which was also very bright in the western sky.

Naturally the warmth had dried up most of the muddy patches but it was the flowers that were really coming in to their own. First, along the bank of the little stream some yellow Iris’s were starting to come out, they’ll be more later.

At the foot of the sea wall this small white flower has come out in dense clumps. It seems to be Common Scurvy Grass which is a very appropriate name for a plant that likes saltmarsh.

Finally we saw this pretty little flower that looked a bit like a lantern; there were single plants dotted around the meadow. It’s a Fritillary or Chequered Daffodil and according to the Flora of Sussex, it’s quite scarce.

We also saw a pair of Buzzards soaring overhead in circles, their wing markings clearly visible in the
sunlight. Unfortunately as they headed towards the City, almost following our tracks, they were mobbed by some aggressive Crows. After trying to carry on regardless they gave up and went away, the Crows had got their way!