It feels like autumn before summer has even started, the buckets of rain bringing out an amazing crop of field mushrooms, standing out white and fat among lush tall grass. And the stiff winds have strewn young helicopter seeds of sycamores over the ground, along with leaves, twigs and branches.
To lighten the gloom, buttercups are out in great golden carpets, their yellow flowers supposed to glow under children's chins if they like butter. The yellow sparkle of buttercup flowers comes from light bouncing off pockets of air just under the surface cells of the petals, shining out like a glass mirror to attract bees, although they see ultraviolet light invisible to us. Buttercups are far from popular on lawns and farmland fields though, and the worst offender is the creeping buttercup, which sends out shoots across the ground searching for new patches to put down roots and start a new plant. This rugged plant can withstand trampling, waterlogging and drought, and its seeds can stay viable in the soil for up to 80 years.
The cool, gloomy weather has held back many flowers, but there are now plenty of oxeye daisies swaying in the blustery winds with their big daisy-like flower heads. For pollinating insects brave enough to face the wild elements, there are also foxgloves, wild roses and red clover to visit, but with so little sunshine it will be a while before the white flowers of wild strawberries set into red fruits.
