In the nature reserve

The little nature reserve down by Hirst Lock is a riot of colour at the moment. It has been closed for a while because of the coronavirus lockdown but I noticed they'd taken the padlock off the gate so I took the opportunity to wander around and enjoy the flowers. It is a little oasis, transformed over the past few years from an unpromising boggy field marooned between the canal and the road. (See HERE). With a lot of imagination and hard work on the part of the volunteers from the Hirst Wood Regeneration Group, it has become a rich garden with lush growth - flowers, trees, shrubs, a pond, a bog garden and several bird feeding stations. It is much loved and used by local families and schools (at least it was until the schools had to close!) 

I think the bird feeder has the look of a country cottage with the climbing rose beginning to colonise it! (Reminds me of the roses that used to tumble over the gate at my grandmother's house.) The glorious blue flower below is an old-fashioned one too: love-in-a-mist (nigella damascena). Its flowers seem to float (as its name implies) in a misty web.  I don't know that I've ever really noticed all those wonderfully curly bits in the centre. Lots to be said for getting in close to take a photo!  

The cat that often frequents the reserve wasn't there this time but I did come across this scary creature hiding towards the back - a gryphon, I think. I'm not sure of his significance in such a place; he looked menacing enough to scare the birds away!