One Day in June

The Meadow is growing up faster than we can capture it on camera. Everyday something new appears either in the form of animal or plant, and the secrets we are unearthing are beautiful. To date there have been twenty different orchids discovered, and in the most unusual places. One is located right by the Shepherds hut - it's definitely done well to survive the trampling! In the Meadows world it is still spring and there are babies everywhere. Swans, Moorhens, Ducklings, Voles and Baby Toads to name but a few.

When we attempted to check under some railway sleepers (from an original railway that used to run alongside the meadow years ago) we scattered a family of baby voles. Luckily they were able to be scooped up and tipped back into their nest. Beautiful little animals!

Under the same sleepy was a rather sluggish and grumpy baby toad. The reptillian body of these animals is incredible up close. The bright orange of they eyes also surprised me, such a strong colour and such a stark contrast to the almost invisible toad who blended in well with the muddy surroundings we found it in. Despite the interuption, the Toad seemed very much into having his photograph taken! We've often seen frogs on the meadow, and at certain times of year the grass is full of them, however Toads seem to be a much rarer occurence.

The orchids offer a very bold statement to the green of the meadow, standing out brightly in the long grasses yet hidden just enough to preserve them from a prying eye. These beauties are cropping up all over the place. Between the purple and the yellow of the lilies flowering over the lake there is a definite array of colour starting to grow across the land.

At the end of a busy day, with a little warmth from the sun and some beautiful surroundings, it is possible to forget stresses and worries and just enjoy the atmosphere. It was made even more perfect this evening with the gentle tapping of a Woodpecker in the trees above the small lake.