David

I don’t know which of the many types of umbellifer this was. Bit the dark purple of the stem and the protective leaves surrounding the flowers, just about to open, was distinctive.

Some of this year’s cygnets on West Park lake early one morning, together with one of the parent birds.

A vivid dash of red makes the flowers of this cultivated broom more striking than those of the wild variety.

A single male azure damselfly. It kept resting on bulrush leaves on the Compton Park pond, presumably in the hope of attracting females, though I couldn’t see aqny signs of any around.

There was one large red damselfly, also male. when I arrived. As soon as it spotted me, it moved to hide itself in the vegetation.

Stickweed: the little hooks which cover the plant make it hold firmly on to most kinds of fabric, or to the fur of any mammal which gets to close. The flower was just opening at the end of this stem.

Growing fast, and mostly moving fast as they swam across West Park lake, some of this year’s coot chicks.