August

Farmers are busy with the harvest, once underway it's amazing how quickly a field of barley can be cut - the grain taken in trailers back to the grain store and the straw bailed up. Within another day or two the massive round bails are loaded up and brought back to the sheds where they are stacked ready to use for winter bedding. For the grass crop the silage and haylage bails may be wrapped in plastic sheeting by another efficient piece of machinery, and these will sit in the field waiting collection when time allows.

 

Butterflies and bees are in greater numbers now. We're seeing the more colourful butterflies, including Comma, Peacock and Red Admirals, drawn to the buddleia bushes here in my garden as well as the plentiful bramble now blossoming
in our woodland and hedgerows.

 

 

Comma - underside with the white comma-shaped mark;
Comma - the bright orange and brown upperside.