The first wild orchid...

...has sown itself in our meadow. 
About fourteen years ago I was able to buy the field from a local farmer who was selling off land. It had been a potato field but we asked a local man to plough it for us and sowed a mix of conservation grasses with loose root structures which would allow wild flowers to move in. Slowly the field has stocked itself with a variety of wild flowers - yellow rattle, vetches, cow parsely, a few poppies, scarlet pimpernel - and today I spotted the first wild orchid.
To begin with, there was not all that much wildlife, but now we often see barn owls quartering over the field, butterflies and a wealth of insect life, and there are regular visits from foxes and roe deer.


Internet problems persist. Highly erratic connection and often unable to upload pictures. We are going to switch provider.