Peacock butterflies were very much in evidence, with several being observed.
A rather ragged Peacock butterfly basks on a piece of rubble
Other butterflies seen were a Speckled Wood, a pristine Comma and a Holly Blue.
Birds included Chiffchaff - two were heard at once at one point, and one was finally seen in the flesh, singing in a fairly open position, a Greenfinch, a male Chaffinch, a Green Woodpecker (good views), 9+ Swifts overhead (my first of the year) and a Whitethroat. All in all there was a tremendous amount of bird song here.
There were a number of apple (or possibly pear) trees in flower on the site.
One of several flowering fruit trees - presumably from an old core or bird-sown
A rather battered grove of Gorse in flower towards the north west corner of the site - someone drove a vehicle through part of it at some point
Cherry tree in flower
A dark-leaved, pink-flowered Cherry elsewhere on the site was presumably a seedling from a garden cultivar.
Other escapes from cultivation were Raspberry canes and a Swedish Whitebeam.
A stand of Fennel not previously noted was found, with one bronzey-leaved plant amongst the green ones.
The best plant find was 16 specimens of Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) amongst an unusually large number (circa 40) of Sun Spurge in a relatively bare patch of soil. This is an uncommon plant, possibly native, and in this instance probably a garden escape from seed. Besides the attractively white-veined leaves, it has a number of medicinal uses.
Milk Thistle amongst Sun Spurge
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