Speckled Wood

The first section of this morning's walk down to the village to collect the Saturday paper was through dense pine plantation where some fungi, encouraged by the recent rain, are beginning to appear. This is a large one, being about 15cm across, and is unusual in that it is growing in exactly the same place as it did last year - see blog post from September 2024 here.

A little further on the path winds between young deciduous trees a few of which, sadly, have died, but this is the best place to find....

....speckled wood butterflies - hence our name for the wood, Speckled Wood. These butterflies have been on the wing for months, dancing around us as we pass through the sunny clearings.

We walk through Speckled Wood on the alert because it is also one of the best places to see....

....roe deer. This buck watched me, standing absolutely stock still until I moved to try to get a better shot at him, when he disappeared. I'm sure they know that, if they stand still when a human passes, there's a very good chance they won't be seen, and it is only when we stop that they need to move. I'm also sure this is complicated by the fact that some humans are accompanied by dogs off the lead, in which case these canny beasts know that loose dogs are unlikely to be under control and, therefore, it's a good idea to make themselves scarce.