Bluebells and Garlic in Flower, Queens Park, Bolton

What a huge difference to the world the sun makes. I’ve spent all my lunch hours for the past 2 weeks walking through Queenspark, Bolton and the difference in the flora and fauna is truly astonishing.

At the start of last week there were hardly any flowers except the Daffodils but this week the woods are full of Bluebells and Wild Garlic in every direction you look and whenever you stray off the path the smell of the Garlic instantly assails your nostrils.

I was listening to the radio on the way home last week and Wild Garlic is a very good salad ingredient and is good for you and although I haven’t tried any myself there are a few recipes using it on the BBC Wiltshire Website.

Comma Buttterfly

Another thing that always amazes me at this time of the year is the insects. Where do they come from? I know, I know – they hibernate, then come out to lay eggs and then a second lot turn up that are migrants from the south but it’s always a great sight – one day no butterflies – the next, they’re everywhere.

I’ve seen the usual suspects such as Small Tortoiseshell and a few early whites but I’ve also seen the earliest Peacock butterfly I can remember as well as this lovely Comma (Polygonia c-album) sunning itself on a new leaf.

The birds are also busy with far too many species to list all busy building nests or feeding early chicks – this weather and the early proliferation of insects should give them all a very good start to the year.

I keep seeing the Kingfisher but I still can’t find where it’s nesting and to be honest I’d be a bit worried about disturbing it so I’ll probably just enjoy watching it fly up and down the river.

Wild Garlic, Queens Park

No pictures of birds this time I’m afraid as they’re either to fast, to far away or I’m just to slow with the camera.

And as for the sea fishing, we haven’t been out since Christmas as we’ve been decorating and generally tidying up the house after winter but we’re going on our first Bass hunt soon and we can’t wait.

Coma Butterfly

As the weather was so good today I thought I’d take my camera out to take a few photographs in Queens Park, Bolton, which is where I can usually be found wandering around during my lunch hour looking at this amazing space right in the middle of town.

I usually approach from the entrance nearest the centre of town which passes through an abundance of Buddleia, these in turn attract a variety of butterflies, one of which was this Comma as well as the usual suspects of Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Peacock.

I could quite happily watch these colourful insects all day but I continue on over a small bridge into the bottom area of the park.

The area where I walk is bordered on one side by the River Croal on which many water birds reside, mainly Mallard, Coot and Grey heron On some days, if you’re lucky you can see a couple of Kingfishers flying up and down hunting for fish or maybe a Dipper running up and down the river bank.

During the spring and summer Brown Trout can easily be seen from the many bridges crossing the river, catching flies from the surface or just lazing in the clear water.

Queens Park, Bolton

My path takes me past the two ponds that are stocked by a local angling club and although there was no one on them today it is not unusual to see people fishing here for the large Carp and many Roach that roam these waters.

The ponds carry a healthy population of dragonflies and damselflies but they’re far to quick to get on camera – there seem to be less now that the weather is getting a little colder with only the larger species present today.

In the past couple of years the local council and the angling club have removed some of the trees surrounding the ponds which I’m sure at the time seemed a good idea but looking at it now, all that extra light has encouraged the Duck Weed which covers almost the entire surface of the first pond so I expect they’ll let a few of them grow back.

Small Tortoiseshell

My walk takes me back down the other side of the river to emerge once again at the lower entrance where today there were so many butterflies a lot of them were just basking in the sun on the Cornus which has been planted as part of the landscaping of the Lads and girls club.

It still amazes me the tenacity of the wildlife in this country. There I was, in the middle of town with a major road not 10 feet away when I heard the unmistakable twittering of a flock of Long-tailed tits, they were perched (about a dozen of them) on a tree, growing out of the side of the main road bridge over the river, almost as oblivious of the traffic as the people in the cars were of them.

Walking back through town I passed a major construction site where a new block of offices is going up. The artists impression looks very good and it can only improve the overall appearance of the area in which it is being built as well as attracting new business to the town.

Blue on Blue

Saying that though, the only reason I took this photo was because I liked the blue crane against the blue sky, makes a change from bright red.

I don’t know how high it is but I bet the man in the cab at the top has a fantastic view!