Beautiful butterflies

The regrowth after the end of Spring cut provides knapweed and red clover - loved by the summer butterflies for the nectar.

Some species settle long enough to be photographed. The Meadow Brown is the most common - understandable, as its host plants are meadow grasses.

A Mazarine Blue - red clover is the host plant.

A Clouded Yellow male...

...and female.

And a Painted Lady.

As last year, the swallowtails flitted past.

The big cut

Not a great Spring for the meadow - cold, damp, few insects, lots of grass - but maybe there has been good flower germination for next year.
The knapweed is in bloom, and the yellow rattle is seeding - time to cut.

A full day's scything and the deed is done

Also at the back

Next door neighbour Dan helps spread the hay for drying

And the farmer stores it in his barn, for the later delight of his cows - the best hay in Aeschlen!

Up the Rothorn

The imposing Sigriswiler Rothorn at the end of our street - 2050m high and the only way up is to walk.

On the way up - a look back at the village and our footbridge

Along the ridge

First view of the summit

High altitude sheep...

...share a pond...

...with newts

My companion Dick makes a last push...



...to the cloudy top

And on the way the flowers in bloom.
Trumpet gentian

Spring gentian

Moss campion

Mountain avens

Alpine snowbell

Auricula

And many more to come.

Verdant pastures

The flower cycle is in full swing

But the grasses are very dense, maybe due to the long cool wet spell

Sanfroin breaks the yellow monopoly

Scabious on the increase

A ragged ragged robin

Nottingham catchflies about to bloom in force

Two groups of bellflowers

Burnet of course

And shouldn't overlook the little hop clover

My favourite grass - quaking grass - getting a foothold

The alpine garden is thriving

I have put a house up for solitary bees to nest - and the first have arrived

A couple of deer went past the back of the house yesterday

Slow but sure

The rainy temperate weather is making a rich green cover

Meadow Clary is out

The Yellow Rattle seeds I collected from a nearby field last summer, and planted in Autumn, are a real success - about 10 clumps over the meadow

The wall lizards are sunbathing and searching for insect food

And under the village footbridge the Red Kites are nesting - and the mother tends two young chicks