An oasis of colour in the drought

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) beside the Wharf in July – in the past this plant has been used to treat dysentery

We have had hot sun and no rain for many weeks now, but we had very light, refreshing rain during the one lunchtime I walked around the Wharf next to County Hall this month – on July 4.

I hadn’t looked for a while and was amazed and delighted by the unusual colourful wild flowers I found near the water’s edge. Most of the little wild plants like groundsel, chickweed, goose grass and nettles had shrivelled in the drought – or in the case of those around the building-site hoardings, been sprayed with weedkiller.

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Wharf birds in summer

Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) and young ones on the Wharf on July 4 – can you see the striped neck of the second offspring riding on its mother’s back?

The water birds are a constant delight on the Wharf next to my office in County Hall, Cardiff, and at the moment they have juveniles with them. I missed most of the very small baby birds as they are growing up so fast…

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2018 tree following 6: Catching the flowers

Linden flowers on the tree beside the Wharf in July

It’s mid July and here in Cardiff many of us are hoping for some rain for the garden and cooler days and nights so that we can catch up on our sleep. We have had hot and dry weather for weeks now, with temperatures hitting 32 degrees Celsius, and we are not used to it.

On the day I walked beside the Wharf (old Bute East Dock) to visit the linden tree (Tilia) it was the only overcast day we have had in ages – and we even had some very light rain that lunchtime.

I think I must have missed most of the flowers, which have opened and disappeared since my last visit a month ago. But I did manage to spot a few.

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Tree following link box for July 2018

Fresh cone-like female catkins of alder (Alnus glutinosa) beside the water in early July

The tree-following link box has now closed for another month. To explore everyone’s updates, please go straight to the bottom of this post.

If you are new to tree following, read all about the idea here.

Here in Cardiff we have had several weeks of very hot, dry weather, sometimes reaching 30 degrees Celsius or more – unusual for Wales. I wonder what the weather is like in your part of the world…

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