After the very hot and dry spell, the verges are beginning to look brown and dry. Most of the wild flowers have now set seed and died down, although a few like the bright yellow ragwort are still in flower. There is also a clump of great hairy willow herb, which is the big, butch but less showy relation of the rosebay willow herb. Looking more closely, the small and delicate flowers of pignut can be seen. This is the same family as the cow parsley seen earlier in the year.
The blackberries are beginning to ripen, as are the elderberries, although many seem to have fallen off during the dry spell. The honeysuckle flowers have been replaced by bright red berries. Don’t be tempted to eat them though as they are potentially poisonous, as are the bright red berries of the wild arum found growing among the undergrowth.
