A time of plenty at Eccleston Mere

Up until quite recently, I used to think that spring was my favourite season, and I still think it takes some beating. However, there is no doubt that autumn is up there, on a par with spring to my mind these days. Yes you could argue that on the calendar at least, there is still a month of summer to go, but in most other respects autumn is here already.



One of the reasons I like spring is because of the flowering of trees and bushes, but right now and for the next couple of months, there is a spectacle of equal magnificence. I heard the other day that English apples are ripening a lot earlier this year, due to the glorious April, and I guess that it must be the same for our wild trees and bushes, because certainly there are a lot of berries about at the moment, and many look ripe already.



There is a lot of bird activity as well. I stood in one small glade at Eccleston Mere for about 20 minutes, with the hazy sun shining through the foliage, and watched a party of tits and warblers foraging for food. Willow Tit (1), Blue Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, Treecreeper (1), Willow Warblers (in their almost canary yellow plumage), Chiffchaffs (now in sub-song) and Blackcaps. A magical experience.





A Blackthorn bush with sloes (left) and Hawthorne(right).



I'm told that to make the best sloe gin, you need to pick the sloes in October after the first frost of the autumn. However these looked good to me, and I couldn't resist taking a few and trying my luck early. I'll get some more in October (if there are any left!), just for comparison.





Rowan (left) and Honeysuckle (right)





Guelder-rose (left) and Elder (right).





A nearly 4" long Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar (left) and male Common Darter (right).