Dear Readers, after a most peculiar day yesterday, when I seemed to run completely out of energy, I felt a bit better this morning, so decided to go for a somewhat truncated walk in the cemetery. I can avoid getting close to people, and felt quite a lot better, so it felt like a reasonable thing to do. Alas, halfway round it seemed like I am still not myself, so I went home to isolate and have ordered a test. I still think it will be negative, but you can’t be too sure.

Anyhow, the first thing I noticed was that the cherry plums, who seem to have been in bloom only about twenty minutes ago, are now dropping their fruit. How quickly the year goes!

And just look at the swamp cypress. After a slow start, it’s now truly magnificent.

The wild carrot is in flower. The young flowerheads are a dusty pink, the older ones bright white.

The white flowerhead has the characteristic single red flower in the middle, and botanists think that this has evolved to convince pollinators to come visit – it looks just like a small beetle already feeding. The pink flowers have one too, but they aren’t as obvious (yet).

it’s certainly persuaded this long-horned beetle to drop by.

The conkers are doing very nicely, though the leaves of the horse chestnut are looking worse every week.

The yellow and white stonecrops are being overtaken by this pretty pink-flowered plant, which I think is Caucasion stonecrop (Phedimus spurius). I am fascinated by the way that some graves form a good habitat for these plants, and others don’t – I’m guessing it’s all down to a mix of soil, sun and exposure.

It really does have a mid-summer feeling to it today – temperature in the ’80’s, sun beating down….

We stop for a most uncharacteristic rest, and a jumping spider pops onto my leg…

The evening primrose is coming into flower.

And what a pleasure it is, on these long, hot days, to walk along a shady lane.