Saying farewell to the swathes of blue this month. The hedgerows have grown up, up, up! They are full, and blossoming. Blues are quickly being replaced by seas of pink campion, punctuated by tall spikes of pink and purple foxgloves. Summer has arrived here, although the weather has been changeable, it has brought us some much needed rain. The sun is very hot now that we find ourselves tilted as far as we can go towards the sun. We will soon find ourselves exactly half way through this year already! The ground is warming up, and my garden and the surrounding lanes, hedgerows and fields are bursting in to life. I wandered and collected one sunny morning, interrupting a doe under the chestnut tree, and filling my trusty trug with garden and hedgerow pickings.
The fields and hedges have swollen and the luscious grasses and leaf canopies are creating hiding spaces - shielding and protecting an array of secret hidden insect worlds. We were very lucky to see a group of 4 field mice huddled together in the sunshine one hazy afternoon. A special moment to share with such secretive creatures. I am also very pleased at the amount of butterflies and bees that we have seen so far this year. There are plentiful amounts of Speckled Wood, Red admirals, Orange tips, Chalk hill blues and Green viened white butterflies - as well as a delightful sighting of a scarlet tiger moth!
I have been working on a collaboration project with my daughter this month. My daughter is 7 years old, and she wrote a poem for me called 'Hiding in the Hedgerows'. Inspired by a little mouse that lives in our garden, who we often watch at dusk, scuttling around the garden, on the hunt for freshly planted seeds! We will be releasing the final print and poem at the end of June, with 50% of the proceeds going to the Wildlife Trust.
Amongst the vegetable patch this year, I have embraced edible flowers, and I think it has really helped with the speedy growth of my courgettes, peas and squash, as they are growing at an almighty rate. We have been creating wonderful colourful salads, and I have a few projects that I am hoping to try out with them soon. I have planted calendula, cornflowers, borage, nasturtiums and violas.
We have been joining Plantlife’s No Mow May campaign, and have continued it in to June to allow the grass to fully open it its offerings to provide a feast of nectar for our hungry pollinators. Comparing last months studio photo to this month really shows how much growth we have had in such a short space of time.
I am looking forward to bringing you the next instalment and observations from my Cornish Garden, surrounding fields and woodlands! See you in July!
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