The landscape of High Heathercombe was a wonderful setting for the Forest Gardening course. Thinking back on it has a dreamlike quality; I'm glad I have the garden and the allotment to re-integrate me back into city life. So upcoming entries in the diary will be musing on the "back garden botany, urban ecology" side of things but for now a few more photos to remind me of Devon. In the toughest of environments in the months of winter Gorse nonetheless flowers in profusion.  

 The combe did indeed have Heather, another plant that does what it does despite (or because of) the harshness of the conditions and the time of year. I spotted this big bumblebee working it's way around a bank of Heather behind the centre. A bumblebee this early will be a Queen Bee not long out of hibernation.

 As I mentioned a few days ago Lungworts were prolific. I gather the whole area is thick with wildflowers in spring and Pulmonaria is the first of them to bloom.  It's not so long since they were snowed in at the centre but the weather was unseasonably glorious coinciding with the course.