Back east today to the Lost Gardens of Heligan with the
prospect of ‘changeable’ weather. We arrived not long after opening and basically
had the place to ourselves bar a widely dispersed German coach party. It was all quite pleasant and the gardens
offered up the usual array of photographic opportunities.
The Walled Gardens were still full of late colour with
Dahlias and Marigolds and the huge Lady Boothby climbing Fushias and there were
still, Pears, Figs,Quinces and Medlars on the espalier trees along the sheltered
walls
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| Pear |
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| Quince |
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| Meddlar |
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| Several different Figs |
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| Not sure on this tree and its fruit - could find no tag |
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| Lady Boothby |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Part of the rememberance installation for fallen Heligan Staff |
An incoming squall saw lunch taken in the grotto near the
cafe before I headed into the Lost Valley and wended my way all the way to the
bottom for the first time. The Gunnera
had all been pruned back and the giant umbrella leaves placed as a protective
cap over the top of the new growth underneath to shelter it from the worse of
the cold and damp on on-coming winter but it was still a joy to walk amongst the
exotic trees and shrubs from around the world. A severe downpour had the trees
lashing around and I sheltered very successfully under a Tree Fern while a
micro rainbow briefly formed in the valley as the rain ceased and the sun came
back. The rains added a lustre to the
huge Rhododendron leaves and darkened the almost red trunks on some of them. You could smell the earth.
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| Cut Gunnera stem |
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| ...and protective 'fur'! |
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| Flowering Bromeliad |
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| Not sure on this one but a huge tree with Rubber Tree like leaves |
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| A generously loved Coin Log |
Nuthatches, Firecrests, Goldcrests and Coal Tits were all
vocal and Robins and Blackbirds fossicked in the undergrowth.
Down in the bottom where the valley runs back to native and
wild there were still some Meadowsweet, Hogweed, Yellow Pimpernel and Red
Campion in flower and I amused myself with some opportune fly watching and
notched up a few species of Hoverfly with Episyrphus
balteatus, Syrphus ribesii, Eupeodes corollae, Platycheirus albimanus, Meliscaeva auricollis, Eristalis
tenax and pertinax and Rhingia campestris. There were
countless Cluster Flies, Green and Bluebottles and Flesh Flies and I found a
nice Tachinid and several other as
yet to be indentified species.
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| Pollenia sp - Cluster Flies |
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| Cluster Flies paying attention to signage and two friends |
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| Pollenia sp - Cluster Fly |
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| Pollenia sp - Cluster Fly |
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| Lucilia sp |
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| Lucilia sp |
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| Lucilia sp |
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| Muscid sp |
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| Not sure at all! |
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| Sarc. sp - a Flesh Fly |
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| Tachinid sp |
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| Syrphus ribesii |
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| Syrphus ribesii |
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| Eristalis tenax |
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| Eristalis tenax |
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| Eupeodes corollae |
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| Episyrphus balteatus |
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| Episyrphus balteatus |
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| Rhingia campestris |
Speckled Woods and Red Admirals danced around and Migrant
Hawkers, a single Southern Hawker and a few Common Darters were still actively
on the wing.
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| Common Darter |
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| Speckled Wood |
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| Red Admiral |
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| Great Black Slug |
Back up at the top the Harvest Barn was a mouth watering
display of fruit and veg from the gardens and the livestock seemed to be
getting on just fine as usual!
The Hydrangeas were still in full flower and there was a
superb display from white through various shades of blue to pink and burgundy.
With more rain imminent I headed for the 50% off garden
plant shop and wisely only left with a pot in each hand before the drive in
truly atrocious rain back to Penzance with a brief stop for a picture of St Michael's Mount in a brief respite...
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