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Out in the marshes, the cotton grass is at its best and magical in the wind. This post is dedicated to Bovey Belle at http://codlinsandcream2.blogspot.co.uk/ .
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The Sparrow fledglings are about at last:
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The House Martins are canoodling:
Bacon and Eggs (Birdsfoot Trefoil) are on the menu....also known as Granny's Toenails which are not so appetizing:
And finally, this beautiful White Ermine Moth:
Have a great weekend. Until next time, here's Snippet among the Cotton Grass.
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Snippett always looks like he is so thoroughly enjoying the fresh air, wind and freedom. Love the photo of him with just his tail sticking out above the grass.
ReplyDeleteI rarely see his head out on a walk!
DeleteThank you so much Em, for dedicating this post to me. I love the wind combing the Bog Cotton and teasing out its locks. Happy memories looking at it, of all the places I remember where it has grown. I remember it VERY well when trying to cross the last little finger of Fox Tor Mire . . .
ReplyDeleteYour bird photos are wonderful too - mine are always the specks in the distance! You made me laugh with the country name of Granny's Toenails for the Birdsfoot Trefoil - I've not heard it called that before!
Happy walking, and tell Snippet he looks perfect "au naturale" . . .
He has been told but was rather more interested in the braising steak I was cutting up with scissors. I've given up on finding a decent knife!
DeleteWonderful photos. The cotton grass creates a fascinating landscape - it does look magical. I love the Sparrow fledglings and the beautiful Ermine Moth; such a pure white colour. And I didn't know that Birdsfoot Trefoil/Bacon and Eggs also had the unappealing name of Granny's Toenails. I won't forget that now!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it disgusting? I only found out yesterday too and I kind of wish I hadn't.
DeleteI have never seen cotton grass before very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSnippet looks very happy in the fields.
cheers, parsnip
It's lovely isn't it? It feels gorgeous too.
DeleteWe always calls bird's foot trefoil lady's fingers - isn't it interesting how colloquial names vary from area to area? I love cotton grass - it grows here on the higher ground and I agree is at its best now. Have a good week-end -both you and Snippet.
ReplyDeleteYou too Pat and Lady's fingers is far preferable!
DeleteFrom someone who has a strange attraction to 'fluffy' plants, thank you for the photos of this amazing grass! I love it! I don't think it grows any where here, though.
ReplyDeleteHead for your local bog if you have any! I still intend trying to make it to the IOW at some time in the next few years so I'm going to need to do some map studying....
DeleteLove the pictures, so many times I point out cotton grass to new comers to the moor and warning them that this spells bog, a very useful marker! Our housemartins keep leaving and reappearing, hope they do some canoodling soon too. Hope you've had a lovely weekend :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a great tip isn't it? Bit more difficult when it's not around as alerting them to Sedge means they can't really go anywhere!
DeleteThe cotton grass rather puts my single plant in the pond to shame! I got some white ermines in the moth box last night (6 to be precise including two mating!). Beautiful things and that's a great pic of it.
ReplyDeleteAren't they spectacular? I wish I'd used the little camera as the shot would have been much better but never mind. Looking forward to your next mothy post!
DeleteEwww Granny Toenails, I will pass thank you very much. Love the Ermine Moth. Any puppy luck yet, Em.
ReplyDeleteWe're waiting until we've been away in August as I don't feel comfortable leaving such a youngster with strangers and we couldn't take it with us. Had we found an adult dog when I first missed the Border Terrier, it would have time to settle in and we would have left both of them, but as it is, Snip will come with us and we'll try and find a pup to pick up when we get home and, hopefully before the bad autumn weather sets in!
DeleteLove the cotton grass. Does it only grow at altitude? It would look great in my large boggy area down by the river.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea but, if you email me your address, I'll collect some seed and you can scatter it about and see what happens.
DeleteBogs of silver! Cotton grass is pure magic Em. We have several species here in nova Scotia. There are a few white ones like yours and even a 'rusty' cotton grass with a warm cinnamon color. natures paint brushes! Hope you are well.
ReplyDeleteOoooo - do try and get some pictures of the cinnamon one; it sounds gorgeous.
DeleteLove cotton grass! But a white ermine in June made me think that you poor guys were still partly snow covered...glad it was a moth!
ReplyDeleteToday it's feeling pretty cold in the wind and rain. Steel coloured skies that drip constantly. Oh isn't Britain great.
DeleteWonderful photos of the cotton grass! Great photo of Snippet also.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gail!
DeleteHi Em,
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering how Trigger's foot is progressing? I guess you would have told us if it was very worrying, but I"m hoping he's comfortable and it's healing well.
Lovely photos. I don't think we get cotton grass over here, and certainly not canoodling house Martins! Thanks for sharing them.
Trigger's foot is a lot better - thank you. There's a big hole there but I'm packing it with something the name of which escapes me and the tub's label has been scrubbed off. It's basically a mixture of nappy cream and cotton wool. Difficult to handle but very effective stuffed in hard with a pointy thing. I'm glad to have stopped the poultices - fine if you have a nice dry stable to work in but not so good in a howling gale on Dartmoor!
DeleteBeautiful magical photos of cotton grass :) Great to see the Ermine Moth too - haven't yet caught one this year and it makes a change to see something other than the LBJ's of the moth world found in my trap!!!
ReplyDeleteNever heard Birds-foot Trefoil been referred to as Granny's Toenails before - a name now hard to forget :)
I've always wanted to see one up close so I was delighted. We saw a very exciting butterfly over the weekend which I'll put in the next post. One I've never seen before and, it seems, is particular to the south west. It's probably not as scarce as I think but it's just lovely to see something new.
DeleteHi Em, Lovely photos again. A bit of a white and fluffy theme in this post with the atmospheric looking cotton grass and the lovely Ermine Moth. Great juxtaposition of the white moth with black spots and black Snippet with white spots :-)
ReplyDeleteGood to see the sparrow fledglings and hopefully we will see House Martin fledglings eventually, I'll look forward to that.
Eventually may mean next year the rate they're going....too much canoodling and not enough building if you ask me!
DeleteThat cotton grass is beautiful-so simple but so effective. Snippet is a photogenic boy isn't he. Wish I looked that good running about on the wilds of Dartmoor! Love the House Martins canoodling.
ReplyDeleteI wish I did too!
DeleteWe've had several ermine moths on the wall of our garage--they seem to stay there all day and then next day, gone. I keep trying to imagine a moor--your photos make me think of the windswept high plains of Wyoming, but prhaps not so dry.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not dry at the moment. It's all squelchy and the Wellies are back in action for walking. Not good for the feet!
DeleteThat cotton grass is so cool!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't have anywhere wet in enough in the garden unfortunately.
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