Had an impromptu run to the Lakes the other afternoon, a lovely mellow sunset from Hartside Pass on the way home.

Sunset

A lovely sunset at the Cottage yesterday evening.

Common Field Daisy, Friends and a Foe...

I had a short cycle ride over to Winnows Hill on the edge of Slaley Forest today, just a short way from the Cottage, a pleasant afternoon after the miserable weather we've been having over the last few weeks. I haven't been that way for a few months and I was pleased I went with plenty to see.

I spotted this little group on the edge of the new forestry planting.  A Common Field Daisy surrounded by Bird's Foot Trefoil, sadly joined by Pirri Pirri Burr - Acaena novae-zelandiae , an extremely invasive thug. Just a couple of Burrs in this photo but on site there are hundreds of square meters of the stuff.......

Cockoo Flower - Cardamine pretensis

At this time of year we have so many beautiful wildflowers here in Northumberland, this Cardamine pretensis is perhaps one of my favourites.

We have lot of very old trees at or close to the cottage, the large tree on the right is a huge, quite ancient Native Crab Apple - Malus Sylvestris, still fruiting after all those years.

Malus Sylvestris

Sporophytes

I was really pleased to find this patch of moss growing on a log beside our little Burn yesterday, the sporophytes looking wonderful. #Slaley

Moss Sporophytes

The underside of a bracket type fungus found this afternoon. Quite beautiful......  South Northumberland.