Although cooling a bit, it’s still sunny and relatively warm for April so to avoid too many people we explored a few paths around the fields off the Centurion Way and found this gem. It’s a strip of shrub that winds between two fields, one cultivated, one overgrown with Willow.

The path snakes around
trees and obstacles providing constantly changing views of the Bluebells and Stichwort that have flowered in dense banks. In the shade of the trees the bluebells are still in full flower, making the most of the sunshine before the leaf cover shields them.

It’s a place where it’s easy to forget the difficult times we’re facing, to become lost in a peaceful, natural world.

Why some of the fields have been taken over by Willow is not clear, perhaps it’s a result of some
earth movement made a year or more ago that disturbed the top soil. It’s tempting to think that they’ve been planted as there are so many of them, but in reality that’s difficult to believe. It seems to be Purple Willow with it’s long, fluffy catkins; apparently it likes this sort of habitat.

Today’s newcomer is this Vetch which has just appeared in flower along the side of the main path. It’s
colour suggests that it’s Spring rather than common Vetch but I’m not certain. Either way it’s good to see some variety along the hedgerow.