Richmond Park and the Isabella Plantation - Colour, colour, colour!

Yesterday a friend of mine took me to Richmond Park and the Isabella Plantation. After a dodgy weather forecast it was a surprisingly lovely day.

We saw plenty of beautiful deer in the Park.

In the Isabella Plantation we took our time wandering along the pathways. This tree has such character, standing among the bluebells.

My friend noticed these first and said she thought they were magnolias - I didn't think they could be - all the magnolias I've ever seen are upright these looked like upside down tulips.

But they are magnolias - here's the proof. How amazing!

Showers of delicate striped bells with pink tinted scalloped edges and thanks to the label we found out what they are - Enkianthus chinensis.

Wonderful bark - tattered and shining in the sunlight. (No label though)

 Love the stripes! 

Now here we come - the thing that the Isabella Plantation is famous for - azaleas - (late April and early May - and looking fabulous at the moment.) Such delicious colours!

I love the two coloured blooms in tutti fuitti colours.

Sunlight through blooms.

Throughout the area there are all kinds of specimen trees - most are labelled (I forgot to check on this one - acer family  (?) with its winged seeds.

We watched a couple of birds hopping around. They wouldn't sit still to have their photos taken...I eventually managed to get a couple of poor photos of one of them. I don't think I've ever seen one like this before with such an amazing speckled tummy and strong wing stripes.

Azaleas - a mountain of white.

So many shades of pink.

One of the handkerchief trees. 

The white "petals" are bracts not petals - they're like floppy leaves  One is a bit smaller than the other, and the small dark green flower cluster is in the centre.

Yes I got a bit carried away - this is such an unusual tree. I've only seen one once before.

White azaleas over the stream. 

Long corridors of colour.

Peachy pink trumpets with frilly edges. 

Shocking pink

In the heath area extraordinary coloured gorse.

White gorse

Closer

Delicate pink

Pine cones developing

A low branch is resting on some heather. 

Heron in the long grass

Tiny pink flowers

Ducklings

Back to the azaleas and the crazy colour combinations

A bit more subtle....

To get a better idea of scale look for the little white blob above the azaleas to the left of the tree trunk on the left of the picture - its someone's sunhat.

Burgundy trumpets. 

We walked back to the car passing very close to a group of deer.

On our way to Pembrooke Lodge for a cream tea.

Wisteria above the doorway. 

Cream tea in the sunshine. 

Last look at the deer as we were leaving. 

As I was crossing the road on the way home I noticed these sunlit leaves.

I had a really lovely time. Thank you very much to my friend

and thank you very much for joining me.