One side of this meadow area at the music school is grassy with flowers, the other is flowery with grasses. I treat the grassy side like the hay meadows of old and cut it at some point after midsummer. The flowery side is mass of Knapweeds at the moment which I will leave till they go to seed.

 I would like to say I got the scythe out but I used the brush cutter, then the strimmer, then the lawnmower...

 

 The white form of Rosebay Willowherb. Never seen in the wild, at least not by me but I do see it planted in gardens from time to time. The pink is definitely invasive, the white less so (it is said).   

 

Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium), a common sight by railway lines.

 

Spring flowers gone to seed add another season of interest e.g. Honesty (Lunaria annua). 

 

High summer: tall grasses and tall wildflowers.

 

 I walked a couple of my favourite butterfly walks this week. A decent enough showing of common butterflies but not abundant. Hard to say whether we're having a good or bad year. 

 The dry, sunny spring into summer should have helped. Then again the parched conditions have restricted the growth of wildflowers i.e. food plants. On both these routes Brambles in flower were the main forage for pollinators.  

Mellow Mallow