A Wet Walk Around the Horsefield and Dead Wood

Despite it being dull and wet, I decided to walk around the Horsefield and the Dead Wood as I hadn't been to the wood for a while and I was keen to see how things had changed.  There had been 25mm of rain overnight and the sky was still dribbling during my walk.  It was good, though, to get the gear on and have a wet plodge.  It was damp and chilly and both crops and grasses had been flattened by the heavy rain.  Everywhere was sodden.  Despite the inclement weather there were still a few butterflies and bees out braving the conditions.  I saw one pristine meadow brown; most are beginning to look somewhat ragged now so perhaps this one was newly emerged.  I came across a loarge mixed flock of crows and wood pigeons on the farmland the far side of Peaks Tunnel by the site of the old farm.  A skylark sang, hanging in the air as though suspended on invisible wire.  A song thrush was belting out its song from the edge of the allotments.  All was dank, geen and quiet in the wood.  Purple vetch was growing in great swags on the meadows and with birds foot trefoul and buttercups mixed in it looks magnificent.  Teasels were in flower now; hopefully ours in the garden will attract a lot of insects.

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