Walk in the woods

Some photos from a walk in the woods this morning

The garden at Midsummer

I wandered round my garden today, two days before midsummer. It's so lush and green - fecund; now there's a word that sums up Mother Earth at this time of year

Here are cool mosses deep . . .

Here are cool mosses deep,

And thro' the moss the ivies creep,

And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep,

And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep...

From The Lotus-eaters by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Crow

Were you there beside the mountain on that day

and did you see the valley’s green fade into grey

Did you see the salmon sink beneath the reeds

and roll from silver scale to dull mud green

Did the air fall still to drop you from the sky

when spirits held their breath to hear the cry

Were you there when thousands fell beneath the bull

Were you there when all around you shrieked their soul

And did you fold your wings around them by the stones

Forest walk

These were taken on a walk on the Ashdown Forest that we call 'The Stream'.

These are Common Spotted Orchids - so beautifully delicate - if you just glanced at them you'd miss those gorgeous markings

Bark is so complicated and interesting - another of Mother Earth's wonders

The lushness of early summer - a carpet of ferns and mix of trees

Nature ALWAYS gets the colours right!