The grassy meadows near Ickleford are parched. At one point a freight train ran along the adjoining railway line and it looked more like a scene from the Midwest of America. 

 This is good territory for butterfly spotting. To the right of the fence is an expanse of grass which slopes gently down to a marshier area on the left. I saw various species flitting around including Whites and Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers.

 However the grasses are usually quite flowery with Thistles, Knapweeds, Scabious et al but much less so this year due to the effect of drought. Photographing butterflies is considerably easier when they pause briefly to nectar on a flowerhead!

 The hedges were the most floriferous place to look on account of the Brambles. Even their flowering is not abundant and already going over to form a crop of not very juicy Blackberries. Anyway, here is a snap of a particularly woody Specked Wood: