No Problem Keeping Social Distances

During our walk from Toft across to Caldecote, we only met one couple and with a beautiful sky, the larks singing and the oil seed rape coming into flower, it felt a long way from the corona virus crisis. The wild garden leading to the Church has some very fine cowslips, Snake's Head Fritillary and Snowflakes. We feel truly fortunate.

 

Insects Active in the Warmer Temperatures

Yesterday was the first day in my garden and on my local walk that I have recorded a significant number of insect species active from the mating Harlequin ladybird, ichmeumon wasp, Andrena solitary bee, Marmalade hoverfly, Bee fly, Juniper Shield bug (a new one for me), Large Red-tailed Bumblebee to the Hairy -footed Bee (a favourite)

 

Flora meets Ted

Yesterday was Ian's puppy Flora's first day allowed to mix with other dogs so Ted, Isla and Flora all met for some social intermixing while the humans maintained their social distancing. All was jovial interchange between the three dogs other than when a ball was involved! Flora discovered Ted's rope pull could fight back!

An Early Year for Pasque Flowers - Lockdown Start 23rd March

We took a walk across the heath today (our last outing in the car before lockdown was announced) to see the developmental state of the Pasque flowers and found many already in bloom. There are a lot more to come. The stems are short which makes pictorial shots more difficult and the lighting was very harsh but pleased with images 5 and 6.  No bees or flies active at the flowers - just a solitary tortoise butterfly. 

 

 

 

The New Visitor Centre Welcomes Walkers to Wimpole (NT) Grounds

As with other National Trust properties Wimpole Park and Gardens remain open with a one-way route through the gardens to help maintain social distancing. The new car park and visitor centre opened in February  with a longer route to the stables, gardens and house but with plenty of room of parking. The old car park is being dug up and returned to parkland.

The new visitor centre itself is not a thing of beauty - I expected a more sympathetic and innovative design but I guess it will look better when the planting around it matures. I wondered who the designer was for the project and was amused by this quote in their write up of the new area - perhaps Capability has returned to oversee the work

Wimpole Estate is one of just a handful of Grade I Registered Parklands in the country with landscape works being carried out by notable designers such as ‘Capability’ Brown and Humphry Repton.