I've noticed that various species and cultivars of the Persicaria genus have become popular in planting schemes. Some are quite tall and shrubby, others low growing and mat forming. This looks like Persicaria affiinis. Now that plants are being identified on the molecular level various members of the genus are being moved to the related genera Bistorta and Koeniga. The above becomes Bistorta affinis for example though it generally takes a while for new names to catch on in the trade.

 Persicaria if I may still call them that have the virtue of being very hardy and flowering in late summer/early autumn when other plants have faded. Their popularity seems to have coincided with the trend for 'naturalistic' garden design. Actually this one is a long way from its natural habitat in the Himalayas so 'natural' is a relative concept.

 It's used well here but when a species or cultivar is a good 'doer' they sometimes get overused on account of their reliability. Plants like Mahonia aquifolium and Bergenia cordifolia routinely feature as low maintenance ground cover in municipal settings across the land. It's hard to be thrilled until you see images of them in their native range. The former is a forest species of the Pacific North West of America, the latter a plant of high mountain meadows and woodland in Siberia, Mongolia and China. By the same measure Bistorta affinis must look rather different on a mountainside in the Himalayas.  

 "The pride of the peacock is the glory of God" said William Blake (he said a lot of things). I should think he was referring to the bird but the Peacock butterfly is pretty glorious.

 Brambles (Rubus fruticosus) are coming to the end of their flowering period but wherever I see a thicket the last flowers are teeming with insects. Typically there will be at least several species of bumblebee plus honeybees, bee flies, flies and various butterflies. The stems are already laden with ripening fruit. Looks like there will be a bumper crop of blackberries after plenty of sun, rain and pollination. 

 Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum). Widespread plant of marshy margins, ditches, damp grassland and riverbanks. Seen here at Burymead Springs in Hertfordshire. 

 The area is described in local literature as "part of an ancient riverside meadow, sandwiched between the River Hiz, the Hitchin railway flyover and a scrapyard". Nonetheless nature continues to thrive in this fragment of an older landscape.

 A Meadow Brown basking in the sun, one of many 'common' butterflies I saw today walking round several meadows near Ickleford in Hertfordshire. There were plenty of Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Peacocks etc.

 Actually I was hoping to see a Small Copper though no luck. My friend Jif had been searching for this elusive butterfly for several weeks in various likely locales. He contacted me a few days ago to say he saw one in the Ickleford meadows.

  Jif is a man who likes a quest. He once went to Panama hoping to spot a Resplendent Quetzal in the jungle (and he did). But I didn't come across a Small Copper so for me the quest goes on...

 Ladybirds like this Seven Spot Ladybird are sometimes referred to as 'incidental pollinators'. Mainly they visit plants in search of prey e.g. aphids but in doing so pollen may stick to the body and be rubbed off elsewhere. Having said that Ladybirds also eat pollen and nectar to supplement their diet so can be considered a 'reciprocal' pollinator too. 

 Cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus). As a symbol the 'Bluet de France' is the equivalent of our Remembrance Poppy. In the carnage of World War One these two flowers grew in profusion on the battlefields. The red Poppy and the blue Cornflower are both annuals that thrive on disturbed ground.