Mid July Visit to Herefordshire

 

Inbetween medical appointments, family birthdays, car service and mot, gas boiler service etc., we managed to get away to Herefordshire the week before last for four nights.

We arrived on the Tuesday afternoon. First task was to water the pots and garden!  The plants had suffered yet again from the dry hot weather.  I've now lost the oldest lavender plant I had there but the rose in a pot, geranium, new lavender, houseleeks, herbs, tomato and chilli plants had managed to survive.  Most of the plants in the garden and border are still more or less ok.  If we continue to have hot dry summers I may have to have a re-think as to whether it is worth bothering having pots.

Cattle sheltering from the sun under the Herefordshire Oak

The Octopus Tree in the centre of the photo.

The Constable Tree(s)

As you can see there has not been much change in the Herefordshire Trees since the last visit.

Teasel in the garden

D's chilli plant has two flowers :)

On the Wednesday we went into Leominster to do a food shop at Morrisons. 

Thursday and Friday we just stayed at the caravan and yet again I spent a lot of time reading. If I am honest it really was too hot to go out visiting places and walking although I was tempted by the thought of a church visit as they are usually so cool inside.

On the Friday I went outside and counted butterflies for Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count.

I just counted the maximum number of butterflies seen at any one time in the 15 minutes of the count.

Meadow Brown x 1

Small White x 4

Gatekeeper x 4

Large White x 2

Holly Blue x 1

Sorry no photos - the butterflies were far too active!  No sign of the Red Admirals, Peacocks or Speckled Woods we had seen on other days!

Timothy was not enjoying the heat any more than me.

Early on the Friday morning before I had woken up B saw three Green Woodpeckers on the grass in front of the caravan. One of them was a juvenile being fed by the adults.  Later in the day we saw a Linnet feeding on seeds in the grass.  I was really pleased with this sighting as I haven't seen a Linnet for years and it was a new species for the caravan site.

Linnet

I used the bat detector most nights and it is good to know the bats are still around the caravan. They weren't appearing until about 10.30 pm so it wasn't easy to see them unless they were flying against the sky.

We left early Saturday afternoon. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we return and I hope it will be a bit cooler next time! Static caravans cool down quickly at night but they heat up in the sun very quickly in the daytime :(  I am very pleased we thought to buy a tower fan last year!

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

End of May Visit to Herefordshire - Part 1: Hatfield

 

We returned to Herefordshire last week for 4 nights and this time D came too :)  We arrived on the Wednesday and stayed until the Sunday. I'd had to go to the GP's before we left as yet again cellulitis has raised its ugly head. Although the locum I saw seemed to think it may be another condition which sounds even worse than cellulitis!  The weather was lovely if a trifle too hot at times!!! We had a good journey and spent the rest of the day relaxing at the site.

There has been little change in the Herefordshire Oak, Octopus and Constable Trees since the last visit.

On the last morning (Saturday) we were lucky to see a Painted Lady nectaring on the perennial wallflower in the border. It stayed around for about half an hour.  I know there has been an influx of this species into the country but this is the first I have seen this year.

*D

D re-potted a dahlia and geranium I had bought and also sowed nasturtium and calendula seeds in pots.

Spiderlings on the car door!

*D

The family are all huge Aston Villa supporters. I have supported them since my father took me to my first match at Villa Park when I was around 11.  Sadly, we don't go to matches these days but the Europa League Final was on tv Wednesday night so we watched the game.  We were thrilled when Villa won the match 3-0 and thus the Cup.

*D

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Warning don't look at  the next photo if you don't like spiders!

Zebra spider on one of the caravan windows.

*D

I used the bat detector most nights and we also had quite close views of the bats foraging right by the caravan.  We put out hedgehog food and saw the hedgehog one night. Record shot by D.

*D

2026 Wild Plant Challenge

We continued with our quest to see 100 plants this year and managed to add several species to the list.

Not sure what this thistly type plant in the lawn is though!

If you enlarge the photo you may be able to make out tiny yellow flowers below the daisies. This plant is Lesser Trefoil.

Ash and Hazel

Clover

We also added Mistletoe (no photo as it is now mainly out of sight due to leaves on the trees) and Greater Stitchwort.

*D

One evening D and B went a walk around the pool and lower field.  I didn't go as I had been walking round Leominster with D that day and my ankles and feet had swollen up again! So these are D's photos from the walk.  The mannequin dressed in red by the pool is quite frankly scary and I can only assume it has been put there to frighten away Canada Geese.

*D

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D also walked to the Hen House at  the end of the drive to buy some eggs. 

Cow Parsley

*D

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Nuthatch on the feeders and a Swallow.

*D

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On the Thursday we went to Tesco in Tenbury Wells to do a food shop.  The verges of the lanes are full of Cow Parsley and Buttercups. Hawthorn is past its best now but Elderflower is starting to flower - another new species for the Wild Plant Challenge.

On the Friday D and I went to Stocktonbury Gardens which I will write about in the next post.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks)

Packington Hall Estate - (NGS Open Day)

 

I'd noticed on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) that Packington Hall was open for the National Garden Scheme on Saturday 5th July and I have never seen the estate and gardens.  Packington Hall is located in the countryside between Birmingham and Coventry, near Meriden so it wasn't far to travel. The Packington estate also owns Marsh Lane Nature Reserve. Years ago I used to be a member and visited regularly as it was closer than Brandon Marsh and being behind padlocked gates I felt safe there on my own. But once B retired he wasn't keen on the reserve so as the membership was expensive I didn't renew it in 2020.

Packington Hall was originally built in 1693 and extended in the Palladian style in 1772 to a design by the architect Joseph Bonomi.  The hall is the seat of the Earls of Aylesford and is Grade II listed.

Herbaceous borders by the terrace. There were lots of bees and butterflies about. We saw Red Admiral, "Whites" and Gatekeepers. It was hard to get photos as it was so windy and the flowers were blowing about all over the place!

We then walked through the grounds and round the lake.  The Pleasure Grounds and landscaping around the house were designed by "Capability" Brown in 1751 and today include a Japanese bridge, lake,  rose and walled garden

Cedars of Lebanon

I think this gall on an oak tree is Biorhiza pallida

Sweet Chestnuts

We walked through a wildflower meadow.

More butterflies were seen including this Small Skipper

Red Soldier Beetles on Ragwort - I had to get D to hold the plant as it was still very windy and then I remembered after that Ragwort can be poisonous!

Has anyone any idea what tree these fruits belong to? I haven't a clue.

Common Blue Butterfly (new for year)

There was a super tree house with swings - the tree house was out of bounds but we did sit in the swing seats for a while.

There was a small pet cemetery with several gravestones.

We had by now returned to the house.  It was quite cool and windy but when the wind dropped it became very hot and humid.

Sea Holly was covered by bees again just like the plants at Stockton Bury Gardens. I have to get one of these plants certainly for the caravan as I think they survive dry periods quite well.

Time for tea and cake.  I sneaked a few crafty photos of the walls and ceiling in the room where they were serving refreshments. The rest of the hall wasn't open.

Timothy has announced that from now on he doesn't want his photo to be taken with Spotty Dog Man!

After cake we went in search of the rose and walled garden.  The former was in the process of being restored.

Walled Garden

A lovely water feature and very cooling as by now it was hot again.

It was a really lovely afternoon and I am glad we made the effort to go especially as I missed the open day at Maxstoke Castle recently.  I am trying to get out and walk as much as possible to try and keep cellulitis at bay. Although to be honest the very hot weather we have been having is not that conducive to walking!

Photos taken by me (and D at times) with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks)