Narrative
   Setting out, the thermometer read 21°C, but a southerly wind of 9 to 14 mph made it feel a cooler 19°C. My first encounter was a small blue butterfly fluttering along the pavement hedge, though it successfully evaded my camera.
   At the children’s playground by the recreation ground, the trees were heavy with elderflower—promising a prolific autumn feast of elderberries for the local birds. Moving on to the outskirts of the cricket pitch, several small white butterflies danced in the weeds beneath the hedgerow. The alexanders have rapidly gone to seed, dying gracefully in our recent excessive heat. Nearby, pretty purple field-mallow bloomed in tiny clusters across the overgrown areas, while bright yellow buttercups bunched tightly in the top corner of the field.
   At the cemetery road entrance, I paused to photograph scarlet poppies growing amongst the nettles and docks. Two small brown butterflies whizzed past too quickly to snap; I couldn’t quite tell if they were commas or another small brown species. Inside the cemetery, wood pigeons and a pair of rooks pecked hungrily at the grassy verges while more white butterflies drifted by.
   Reaching the field at the top end, my approach sent a flock of corvids taking off in alarm. On the natural overgrown bank, bird’s-foot trefoil sparkled in the sunshine, interspersed with mallow, dandelions, and solitary scarlet poppies.
   Looping back to the main road, I captured a photograph of a pink digitalis—foxglove—just coming into full flower.

Single poppies continued to dot the landscape, including an unusual orange-coloured one springing up from the pavement. Finally, reaching the leisure centre, a lone feral pigeon watched from the rooftop while a sparrow darted into the gutters, where I suspect they nest and roost.
Daily Activity Stats
Distance: 1.69 miles
Time: 35 minutes
Google Fit: 25 heart points

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.