On the cusp

 

The only Hornbeam in the wood and on its left, the only Aspen 

The wood is on the point of bursting into leaf and flower. A lovely time of the year,

We had a chat with a fisherman on the Pond who said he saw a huge group of  deer last week on the opposite side of the water. He heard the noise of their hooves before he spotted them. He managed to count 46 including 5 or 6 white ones, which are a sign of overpopulation and inbreeding. The deer stalking season is now over and  soon this year's young will be born, enlarging numbers even further. The deer stalker only managed to bag four this season, so we're not even keeping up with their reproduction rates. Clearly we'll need to do something more, though not sure what. Introduce a couple of  lynx or a wolf perhaps......................

The willows pollarded this year are just starting to shoot.

The willows pollarded last year are in leaf. The ground is sodden with recent rain, attracting many insects and a variety of birdlife. Just waiting for the Purple Emperor butterfly to put in an appearance.