Coombe Wood walk in the sunshine with a friend

My friend arrived at 9 and we set off immediately

The pond was lovely and clear again

There are still some orange petals on the flowers by the pond

The trees next to the pond are laden with tiny clusters of . . . tiny clusters of what? I don't know what they are. Are they flowers? Or cones? They look like miniature brussel sprouts.

The fish were clearly visible today - no green film over the surface

These flowers are tiny but they don't have delicate petals, they have thick waxy petals

Wonderful bright orange nasturtium with deep red markings spreading from the deepest part of the upper petals and tufty bits on the back of the lower three petals. Such intricate design. Gorgeous!

Red spikes - so many bees but they wouldn't sit still long enough to have their photos taken

The abundant growth in the prairie beds spills over the pathways making some impassable

Each tiny petal has a dot on it, every raspberry coloured centre has five bulging compartments with seeds forming in them

So many different kinds of bees and other stripy insects. This one was very fluffy and yellow and it fed with wings outspread

Easy to miss these flowers although there are many more this year because the plants have grown much taller than they did last year - beautiful pink stems with delicate pastel pink flowers which open to reveal green pods

When the petals fall off the contrast between the pink stems and green pods is even more striking

Such an array of orange and yellow flowers in different stages of development

Similar to some shown previously but with longer more delicate petals which are a cooler pink

 Pink flowers with tufty, thready bits

Some flowers have such neat and tidy middles

These look lilac/blue from a distance but it's only when you get really close that you can see the pink stems and pink centres in each little flower

A mass of purple with yellow middles

My friend got some of the clear sticky sap from a Korean pine cone on her finger - the sap emitted a lovely fresh smell of pine

Cornus fruits 

Sunflowers

The middle of this one isn't nearly as circular as the others

The snapdragons have grown really tall

Purple and white

As we came near to the gate we met the gardener. My friend talked to him about some plants she had seen here which she has at home in Romania.

We heard that someone has released a terrapin in the pond. I remember a time when there were quite a few terrapins in the pond but the gardener explained that they upset the ecology of the pond so he is hoping to catch it.

It had been really good to walk with a friend who was also excited about the beauty of the plants and flowers. We said goodbye near the gate and went our separate ways. I continued my walk.

A sea of white flowers in the wide border has several splashes of bright colour popping through

I think this is a hover fly. It has neat little antennae

Standing back a bit to look at the sea of white which I referred to earlier

Then close up again - looking at the deep blue against the white

Yellow, orange and raspberry red

Little red flowers

Sunflower 

Big fluffy bee . . . 

 . . . . working its way around the flower

Lovely mix of colours

Purple spikes against soft rounded white petals

Spiky teasels - masses of them this year

Raspberry and lilac

The gardener was cutting the edges of the grass around the flowerbeds with long handled edge cutters

I walked back down the wide strip of grass between the wide borders and enjoyed looking at the abundance of flowers either side of me

Back to the raised beds near the entrance

Fabulous colour combinations in all directions

Soft smoky blue cloud of tiny flowers swaying in the lightest of breezes

Bees crawling over the plants in the sunshine

Last views of the pond 

Stunningly clear reflections

Thank you very much for joining me