Wildflowers and other miscellanea

I went for a walk this morning from Foremarke school through Heath Wood after dropping off the kids.

There were some beautiful horse chestnut trees blooming along the path. Horse chestnuts are used to play a game called conkers. I found this nice description of the game.

The kids have had an interesting week; Sage had her first cello recital on Tuesday and she visited Tamworth Castle as part of their study of castles. Today, a helicopter is visiting…

The weather has been just perfect this week. I’ve spent a bit of my time in the sun sawing and sanding this speaker enclosure. It’s not quite finished yet, but before I build the other one, I’m planning to get started on my next project, assembling an amp from 41hz.com.

The bluebells are still blooming as well, though the hot summer weather this week seems likely to indicate their imminent senescence.

I’ve seen this flower, red campion, or Silene dioica, fairly often near the roadside.

Cow parsley, Anthriscus sylvestris, is one of the most abundant roadside blooms.

Hawthorn is also fairly common, often in hedgerows.

Perhaps the most abundant plant in England, though, is Urtica dioica, the stinging nettle. It grounds profusely on roadsides. If you have to pee while out walking, be sure to be careful or you might end up like Sage with stinging hairs embedded in your backside. Fortunately, crushed dock leaves appear to sooth the sensation somewhat and are usually found in the same habitat. This plant, Lamium album, or white dead-nettle, looks very similar to the stinging nettle, but doesn’t actually irritate.

I’ve also been meaning to visit the nearby Staunton Harold estate. The house itself it still used as a residence, but the grounds are open to the public.

These sculptures were outside the old stables at the Staunton Harold estate which have been renovated to house artisans’ workshops.

This emerging fern was my favorite find of the morning: