A Wander Through Trees

I spent half-an-hour this morning alone in an area of croft land west of Dornoch, doing little but wander through the relatively-recently planted trees in bright sunshine, listening to the birds - willow warblers, chaffinches, blue tits, crows - and marvelling at the number of....

....northern marsh orchids, far more than last year but most of them half the usual height, perhaps because of the dry weather.

This orchid species dominates this part of Sutherland, search as one may for others, but it's good to see it thriving and it does make some effort at variety by....

....appearing in several shades, from a purply-blue through to almost pink.

Quiet, contemplative time like this is so refreshing for the soul and so easy to find.