Monday: On a rare sunny day I took a small detour from my route home from a gardening job and paid a visit to Malthouse Meadow.
In the grass the Grasshoppers and Crickets are very audible as they stridulate to announce their presence.
Tall stands of Creeping Thistle on the margins of the Meadow have clusters of pink/mauve flowers that are strongly attractive to insects.
Small Tortoiseshell butterflies flit past me in search of a fresh thistle flower. Meadow Brown butterflies alight on the path ahead of me and flutter off into the tall grasses.
Two Marbled White butterflies cross paths as they collect nectar from a profusion of Bramble flowers.
To the right of the path a large Buddleia shrub stands in almost full bloom with it's long spikes of clustered lilac/blue flowers.
A short search around the bush soon shows up a feeding Red Admiral butterfly and a little distance off a Small Skipper taking up the high energy nectar.
A Song Thrush in the top of a tree at the edge of the meadow sings out it's familiar repertoire and the chorus line is filled in with the chatter of Sparrows in the among the hedgerow.
This was the only day this week without heavy rain and strong winds.