Trimley near Felixstowe: Last of the Summer ... Hops

It was certainly milder today in our part of Suffolk than it has been recently, but the day began with overcast skies and drizzle. By the afternoon it was looking a bit brighter. 

 

We ventured out to Trimley, above the river Orwell, near the port of Felixstowe, and were delighted to find a few decent bursts of autumn sunshine. It was lovely to see the final fling mounted by poppies and other wildflowers along the field margins. I was particularly surprised and delighted to see some hops in the hedgerow as these reminded me of the cultivated hop fields and accompanying oasthouses of my Kentish childhood. Our Harvest Festival baskets were often decorated with strands of hops, and I could never decide whether I liked or hated the distinctive scent!

 

I was quite surprised to find so many blackberries on the bushes

Rose hips ... which remind me of rosehip syrup, again from childhood days

What a large maize field!

You may be able to make out bits of harvested sweetcorn ...

I love to see wildflowers along those field margins ...

Hawthorn berries. It is definitely the season for hips and haws ...

... and hops!

Who can resist peering through a gap in a hedge?

Some creature, a mouse perhaps, has been enjoying this puffball!

 

Spot the Dragon and the Sutton Hoo Bluebells

 

I love bluebells, partly because blue is my favourite colour and there are not many flowers that have such an intensity of blue colouring, and partly because they remind me of nursery school visits to Kippington Meadow where we formed a circle and danced, singing 'In and out the dusty bluebells'. I wonder if any of you played this 'song-game' when you were also very young.  

We saw the bluebells in this post yesterday in the woods that form part of the Sutton Hoo estate. There was also plenty of Hawthorn blossom.

 

 

Sutton Hoo overlooks the river Deben and the town on Woodbridge. The tide was going out at speed. 

 

Here be dragons in the wood ...

 

 

... but what I didn't know until yesterday was that this dragon's name appears to be 'Spot'.   ;-)

 

There were one or two winged insects flitting about on the gorse. I wonder what the white sphere is at the top of the red arrow. I am guessing it may be an egg or perhaps pupa of some kind.  

 

Who knows if this impressive den, created with last year's bracken, was meant to resemble an ancient dwelling? 

 

I had wondered if the tiny pink flower below was a type of Storksbill. Perhaps I need to post it on iSpot. 

 * * *

Meanwhile, back in our Suffolk garden the Bee-flies have been making the most of our Dandelions and Honeybees have been busy gathering amber-gold pollen.

 

An Afternoon at Snape and Aldeburgh

The forecast was not very promising, but when we reached Snape Maltings yesterday afternoon the sun appeared and it was sufficiently warm for a small Common Lizard to venture out of the reedbed. Lizards are not only wary of humans but they are also protected under law, so this photo was taken with my zoom lens extended. The camera has focused on the thorax: what intricate designs these lovely reptiles have.

I have no idea whether the skin patterns are entirely for camouflage in this species or whether colour and appearance play any part in mating rituals. You can read about some Aegean Wall Lizard research on this topic here.

The photo above shows Snape in the hazy sunshine. 

Some creature, possibly a deer, has carved out a private path through the reeds.

Humans can walk through the reedbeds in the direction of Iken on this slatted boardwalk.



The light was very strange at this point, but the iconic tower of Iken Church, dedicated to St Botolph, was very prominent on the far side of the water.

Hawthorn, also known as May, blossom was bursting into flower. We left Snape, and since the afternoon was still dry, we moved on to Aldeburgh ... 

... where we were greeted by this rather fierce Herring Gull.

I am not sure what the blue line signifies, but this is where the gull chose to stand on patrol.

I saw a couple of people eating fish and chips in a car as we left, so perhaps the bird knew that it was in exactly the right place for its favourite snack.

It began to look as though the promised rain was on its way. In fact, we somehow seemed to avoid it, so perhaps the storm broke out at sea.

It is always a joy to see the emergence of summer flowers, and the Aldeburgh area has some unusual coastal varieties. This was the first Sea Campion I had encountered in 2018.

David walked on towards the martello tower. We could see Orford lighthouse in the distance and the eerie defence 'pagodas' on Orford Ness.

This was the view on the landward side of the path. This water-bound area, just south of Aldeburgh and around the river Alde, is known as Slaughden. It was once a vibrant commercial centre. The tide has already claimed so much of this fragile maritime environment.

Oystercatchers were calling on the landward side of the path,

 ... and a Mute Swan was doing a spot of preening. Look at the size of that webbed foot!
Meanwhile, out at sea ...

... the beautiful head of a seal was bobbing up and down. The photo above was the best my camera produce as the seal was quite a way out in the deeper channels and the light was very stormy.

Back home in the garden, it was good to see a variety of Soldier Beetle I had noted in May last year.

There were several Dandelion clocks on the lawn..

... a sign, I would like to think, that the settled sunny weather ...

... will return before long.