Finally the sun put in an appearance at 2.00 pm so I gathered my kit and set out. It was International Biodiversity Day and I was keen to walk around the local patch to see what I could find. It was three weeks since my last visit and I was hoping for more butterflies. It is only a short walk around to the cemetery and within minutes of walking through the gates all sounds of traffic from the busy Scartho Road vanished to be replaced by bird song. Nippeding through the gap in the fence and clambering over the fallen tree I entered a new world, one of bright sun. I was amazed to see the wet meadow ablaze with buttercups. Along the sheltered edge between meadow and cemetery, butterfles were active: speckled wood, orange-tips, large and small white and holly blue. Although not settling long enough for photography they were a delight to see. I continued around the outside of the cemetery and woodland burial ground finding more butterflies as I went. Crossing the 'plank bridge' over Gooseman's Drain, I was soon walking up the edge of Gooseman's Field. Once out in the open I began to notice the cold, blustery, northerly wind. Immediately the incidence of butterflies decreased. I was expecting to find large skipper and small heath but either they haven't emerged yet or it was too cold and windy for them. It was satisfying to hear skylark and whitethroat out on the field, though. Having completed the usual route around the field I returned across the centre and was pleased to find plenty of birdsfoot trefoil coming into flower. Squeezing back through a second gap in the fence I popped back into the woodland burial ground back into a world of birdsong; chiffchaff and blackcap being the most notable. Wandering down the grassy ride around the burial ground, I disturbed a roe deer which stood and sussed me out before wandering into the wood. Continuing, I found more holly blues and orange-tips, but again they weren't perching. In fact the only butterflies I managed to photograph were two speckled woods and one of these was so worn that it barely had any wings left. Rounding the corner from the wood into the burial ground meadow I surprised another couple of roe deer, this time a buck with a doe. Again they stood and checked me out before moving off further into the meadow. I did manage some distant photos ( a macro lens is not the best for this) and through binoculars could see that they looked patchy where they were shedding their thick winter coat to leave the richer russet of their summer one. Leaving the cemetery I noticed an unfamiliar plant and on checking it out forund it to be rose garlic, although why this should have been planted on a grave I can't imagine.
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