Veronica agrestis

Forest and coastal path

I had a quick scout round at the Shell Bay forest track, mainly to check the Speedwell again. Just in time, as only a few little folded flowers remain.

After checking the fruits and finding only glandular hairs, I’m going for Veronica agrestis, Green Field Speedwell. But I’ll need to get someone down there to check it next year. There’s a blue dot on the map quite near, but not in this location.

I loved the way the ferns caught the light.

However, it made me realise once again how they just don’t stay in my mind. Just telling one from another is so difficult.

Then I went down to Elie – haven’t done the path there for a long time, put off by the tourist bungalows and the people sitting staring out. But…there was a seal perched on the edge of the rocks (and three more on another rock).

Sea rocket in full bloom, some plants dark purple, others pale, some half-buried but still going strong.

It was just a perfect day for the beach.

I was pleased to find Lucerne still flowering, two plants, one just hanging on among the spreading bracken.

The sycamore leaves all along the coast are brown and withered, probably from the storm last week.

The holiday bungalows are as intrusive as ever, and I miss the remote feel to that stretch of the path, but such is life. Along there, I watched a flock of 70/80 lapwings circling round and round, but they didn’t come into land. There were hundreds of gulls along the sea edge. However, bird of the day was this redshank, reflected in a pool.

I liked this little autumn mix, on the way back.