Hot, grey and occasionally rainy today. Perfect conditions for insects, which were everywhere on our walk, in great variety as well as numbers. Unfortunately, the dog finds patience very hard, and so you’ll have to take my word for it, as there is no photographic evidence.

The insects did, however, attract the birds. Swooping over yellow fields:

or waiting on a wire:

The parakeets are impossible to ignore now, mainly because of the noise they make.

The paths are well used but still almost overgrown in places as the warm, wet weather has led to another growth surge.  The bramble flowers are now out wherever the sun reaches them

and the yellow irises are showing bright in the pond

But the very damp atmosphere is also good for fungi

I love being out with the dog – and when the weather isn’t great, she is often the reason I make the effort to go. I am always extremely careful to clear up after her. I am, however, really disappointed by how many people do not think that’s necessary as soon as they move off the roads and pavements. The paths through our local wild spaces are well used by walkers, runners and cyclists. No-one should have to clean shoes and bike wheels because others haven’t bothered to clear up after their dogs. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, such carelessness shows a real lack of respect for others who use the same paths.