#30DaysWild - day 23

Day 23 of the #30DaysWild challenge.

Walking at sunset, a little later than I had hoped, but the light improved as the walk progressed, into a beautiful sunset with even a patch of rainbow cloud.

The Fragrant orchids are beginning to appear in more numbers.  They almost appear to have come out of nowhere.

We are still hearing the cuckoo, this evening it was calling from the  trees round the house, very close, for a few minutes before flying off towards the wood between here and the Point.

Lady's bedstraw is just about to flower, another yellow to add to the mix.

Northern marsh orchids.

Fragrant orchid, on the cusp.  I even found one growing where we have cleaned out the old drainage ditch, on a sod of turf moved by the digger.

The fragment of rainbow cloud or sundog.

The Wood bitter-vetch and the bee.

I left Daughter and Farmer to walk about to the farm via the track and I headed across the natural regeneration wood.  There doesn't seem to be as much bog cotton here this year, but it is feeling more and more like a woodland area, and given how wet certain bits of it of it are, it is wonderful to see all the young trees, growing and spreading.  The bog myrtle was in leaf, last time I walked through here it was flowering that strong browny orange flower. The scent when I rubbed young leaves through my fingers transported me to when I lived in London and used to take a branch of bog myrtle with me, to remind me of Mull.

I have a bright green poncho which I use when I lie on the ground to take photographs. I think the tups thought it was a feed bag.

A swirling number of noisy Common gulls again flying up and down from the lochan. A heron flying up from the sea to the woodland where the nests are. 

Orchid portraits

The Coronation Meadow at Haunn is blossoming. Shades of yellow across the field studded with these wonderful orchids.  I am in heaven walking carefully along, recording the wild flower arrangements with my camera as I go.  There are Northern Marsh Orchids and lots which I think have hybridised as well as the more subtle Butterfly Orchids and the elegant Fragrant Orchids.  A series of portraits below.. they are all unique in their way. 

More Fragrants every day too.  This one was huge!

Butterfly orchids...

Marsh Cinquefoil..

The first Tufted Vetch..

And finally, a new find for Treshnish - Yellow Eyed Grass - Sisyrinchium californium. I found it growing beside the burn in the Black Park. Couldn't find it in any of the flower books, but Prasad was consulted and very quickly came back with a name and record of it being found near Dervaig in 1972! 

Never seen so many.

Farmer was looking in a far corner of the Black Park today, to bring in a ewe which had been left behind during his gather.  Thank goodness he did.  He found a patch of fragrant orchids like I have never seen before! This evening he showed them to me. We could smell their delicate scent before we saw them. I had spent ALL day in the office, and can now see the surface of the desk, so this was a great reward.  So beautiful.

Toechtamhor is not far away as the hen harrier flies.

The cheviots have been put through the fank today. Jamie came to help.  He has been off gathering for other farmers nearby but the timing all worked fine and so they worked away together at them this afternoon.   There is a shortage of independent farm helpers (those with dogs for gathering!) around this end of the island, and with the finances of farming  the way it is, not many young folk want to go into this sort of work.  The lambs are growing well now, and the memory of lambing and that dreadful weather is far behind us now.

The Haunn field (Coronation Meadow) in damp clothes.

  Dog kennel gate made from reclaimed old fank gate.