Common Hemp-nettle

We set off early, hoping to beat the traffic through Nottingham and Derby, but when we were approaching Stamford, Pete suddenly remembered that we'd left our hard hats and yellow jackets behind. We turned back at the next junction, and as a consequence hit the rush hour in both cities, though fortunately neither were as bad as I'd been expecting.

The morning was spent surveying Kedleston Golf Course (hence the need for yellow jackets and hard hats) where there was an abundance of Common Hemp-nettle, a plant that thrives in neutral to acid soils and is pretty uncommon around Peterborough. As I was working all day, most of my photographs were records shots - there were plenty of Gatekeepers on the bramble blossom but they were being very flighty and I didn't have time to stalk them.

The weather turned surprisingly hot and humid, and I felt very tired by lunchtime, but there was more recording to be done in the NT property next door in the afternoon, though it was interspersed with a meeting with the site manager, which included a very welcome refreshing cup of tea. Just after 6pm I'd had enough so we headed off to our bed and breakfast, which was out on the Ashbourne Road. 

The associated pub served wood-fired pizzas and a pint on Thursday evenings, and the pizzas were made and cooked in full view of the diners. Although not our usual preference, they looked so delicious that we decided to try one - which proved to be a wise decision. Needless to say, I slept very well!