wildlife

On Thursday morning as  I was walking down the road a jay flew off the road onto a birch tree about 10/12 ft from me, perching on a bump on the trunk about 8ft from the ground - the nearest I've ever been to a jay. As I was doing my weekly yoga/pilates session in the sitting room yesterday morning, it was flying about the birch trees outside.

This morning there were 2 foxes at the end of the garden, one lying in the sun being groomed by the other.

On my cylce ride this morning I passed poppies where the ground had been disturbed north of the football ptiches on Hackney Marshes. There was also a clump of them in the middle of one of the filter beds in the  old Essex Filter Beds nature reserve - that had been flooded over the winter. Along the new path by the Navigation just north of Leabridge Road there were poppies again - but in all sorts of colours. Part of me was disapproving that garden poppies had been sown there, but another part of me thought they looked very pretty.

The slope at the bottom of Springfield Park is meadow, and full of white clover and some bright yellow flower,  but I didn't stop to check what it was. Coming back on the other side of the marshes. on some ground cleared last year, are some plants, some with blue flowers, some with white and it looked very colourful. I really must find a good wild flower guide so I can look up what they are!

Olympic(?) clearup removing wildlife cover

They have been clearing all the undergrowth along the towpath. In places very welcome as it will make it easier turning corners on the bike.

Not sure whether it is connected with the Olympics but they have also been clearing undergrowth along Orient Way and in places putting down turf. With this dry spring the turf has not taken well, and a lot is straw-coloured. They've been watering it, which makes me grimace when we could be very short of water this summer.

This morning on my bike ride I found they have started clearing the undergrowth between a foot/cycle path and Orient Way leaving just the young trees. 

All this is wildlife cover and also proving food for wildlife - pollen, nectar and berries.

Other matters:
Suddenly the elder is in flower! Must check my recipe for Elderflower champagne so I have all the ingredients ready for next week!

Came back from my cycle ride and found I had a slug on my shoe! I have enough in my garden without importing more!

We had some showers yesterday morning and overnight. Very welcome, but I checked the soil in the vegetable patch this morning and the damp is only on the surface. I'd like it dry on Tuesday as a handyman is mending the outside tap, but if it could rain for a while after that?