A Few Precious Days

The few precious days of warm sunshine we had at the beginning of May for the Bank Holiday will stay with me whatever the rest of the year might do. On the Saturday I was working, but in the beautiful Ithon Valley at Llanbadarn Fynydd, not far from Llandrindod - and with time for a walk! At this time of the year everything sparkles, and of course I was surrounded by birdsong. Primroses and celandines were prominent along the hedgerows, with some stands of garlic mustard or Jack by the hedge, its flowers just opening and so at their very best against the particularly fresh green of the leaves. Blackthorn was still out in the hedges, with bumble bees busily prospecting the flowers. Earlier I rescued a very large queen from the church, and placed it on flowers outside, where it soon recovered. These large insects use a lot of energy in flying, and need very regular toppings-up with nectar. If you find one looking sad and exhausted, feed it with some sugar syrup and restore it to health!

My walk took me high above the river and the little village beyond, then, later along the side of the river itself. There were swallows everywhere, and plenty of insects for them to catch. The twittering song of swallows is one I always enjoy. A large brown bird flew across to land out of sight by the river. I’d no field glasses with me, so I couldn’t identify it - it would have been nice if it was a curlew down from the moors, but I can’t be sure, though the flight looked right.

Down by the river itself, with the bank studded with widely open celandines (and a fair few dandelions too), a patch of more vivid golden yellow proved to be marsh marigolds or kingcups, among my very favourite flowers. I do like it when a patch of colour turns out to be something special. On the Bank Holiday Monday, a bright patch of purple along the lane near Gaer Fawr, by Guilsfield, turned out to be early purple orchids, five or six flower heads, lovely to find.

We walked into the woods, and along the paths fern fronds were unfolding, and white stars of stitchwort were beginning to open. There were plenty of wood anemones out, their flowers varying from white through pale cream to a few that were very pinkish, and here and there a few clumps of the smaller and gentler wood sorrel, but what we were really there to see (and to smell) was of course the carpet of bluebells that you find especially towards the top of this ancient hill fort woodland reserve. We were not disappointed! Individually, the scent is much fainter than that of (say) a pot hyacinth, but when there are so many together it can be quite heady.

Bee flies were everywhere, little round bundles of ginger fuzz, with a long straight proboscis. They are able to just stop in mid air and hover on the spot, then quickly jerk away, often returning to exactly the same point. Butterflies included lots of combative speckled woods (very territorial), orange tips, holly blues and a bright orange comma. I had hoped to see the sulphur yellow of a brimstone, but I was disappointed. I was far from disappointed by the birdsong, though, with blackcaps, chiffchaffs and other warblers adding their voices to the resident species.