The King’s Men stone circle, 33 metres in diameter, originally constructed around 2,500 B.C., and with a long (and continuing) alleged association with witchcraft and other forms of paganism.
Since 2001 the site of the complex has been owned by a Trust, which has made changes to improve access, with predictable results.
A group of the Avon swans, and the odd mallard, following one of the river cruise boats at Stratford, as one of the crew throws food from the bow. The swans were already following the boat before there was any sign of the food. Presumably this is one of the regular attractions of the trip.
The Rollright Stones are a complex of prehistoric monuments on the Warwickshire / Oxfordshire border. The Whispering Knights, probably the oldest part of the complex, are the remains of a five thousand year old burial chamber. In my opinion, they look most impressive when approached from the footpath which runs across further down the field to the south, giving a view of the stones standing cutting the skyline.
Crab apples growing on a tree in a hedgerow, the green of their skins developing a rosy blush as they ripen.
Common blue butterfly – the blue of the upper surface of the wings shows it is a male – resting on a stalk of grass then feeding on a thistle flower.
Hairy dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) resting on a nettle flower by a footpath along the River Avon at Stratford. The thorax of this species is covered in what looks like fine blond down in this individual. It’s a male; the females have what photos show as a stronger hairiness, and green on the abdomen where the males are blue.
An uncommon dragonfly, usually the first species to emerge in the spring. This one was spotted at the very end of its season, early this month.