Yet More Damp, Cold Days

 We've had very little in the way of sunny blue skies in the last few days, with temperatures struggling to reach 15C - we've even seen one day with the midday temperature a measly 13.5C - and cold, almost wintery northeasterly and northwesterly winds. However, even if it's only for a few moments, if the sun comes out so do the butterflies, though in desperately small numbers for the time of year. Yesterday we saw only two red admirals, a tortoiseshell and a white. What's so frustrating is that one of their favourite plants, the buddleia, is in exuberant bloom.

The damp weather does however, suit the fungi, which are beginning to 'flower' in the pine woodlands behind our house. Mostly it's old favourites like this brittlegill but we've also seen some rather strange new ones, like....

....this one, which may be a puffball which has popped.

We're also seeing some old friends putting in an appearance. This one is about 18" high and closely resembles a pile of variously-shaped fresh bread rolls. Its identity escapes me but I remember it appearing in exactly the same spot this time last year.

Unless the weather makes a drastic change, this is going to be the coolest, dampest, greyest 'summer' we've experienced in our seven years on the east coast.