Just by the back door, on our way out, we notice an uninvited but welcome guest, a Small Magpie Moth, whose distinctly-marked black and white wings are beautifully set off by its yellow "cloak".

Along the Strawberry Line, we finally manage to photograph the tiny flower head of a Lesser Trefoil, quite similar to those of Black Medick, the plant itself resembles a vetchling.

From a distance, the higher slopes of Shute Shelve Hill are a yellow carpet of Birds-foot Trefoil and Rock Rose.

This was a real photographic beanfeast, the walk was filled with wildlife to say the least. Here are the edited highlights.

Whilst ambling along the Strawberry Line, we got our first sighting of a Silver Washed Fritillary (the largest of the British butterflies) which was a real treat. It really is a big butterfly.

Further on, the path is partly shaded by an ash grove and at this point it is edged with fine stands of Ribbed Melilot and Meadow Vetchling.

As we continue on into Kings Wood, the open woodland offers welcome shade from the strong sunshine, it is very hot. The sunlight creates beautiful highlights on the woodland floor and brings out the sumptuous colours of some moss-covered tree bark.

This Orange Mullein is a new flower to us, it had found a clearing all to itself. We spent some time puzzling over these numerous plain brown butterflies which we had been seeing. They turned out to be recently-pupated Ringlet butterflies, whose characteristic spots have yet to develop fully.

Since early this year, a flock of sheep has been occupying the field adjacent to the railway track and we kept an eye on them through the lambing season. The lambs are growing fast, here a very woolly lamb take its ease in the shade of some trees, idly continuing to graze, even whilst lying down. By contrast, the White Park cattle seem much less affected by the heat.

Returning home, the bright pink flowers of Wild Basil are quite eye-catching, as is an enormous hoverfly - Volucella Zonaria , another British largest.

The day has progressed and the sunlight takes on a somewhat gentler tone which gives a fine backlight to a Mallow flower. Finally we catch a Cream Spot Tiger Moth resting on a bramble leaf.

Wild raspberries grow along the Old Railway line, the fruit is considerably smaller than anything we might buy in the shops but the berries are packed with flavour. Very delicious :)

There is a wide variety of Hawkweeds to be seen in the area, some are distinctive enough to be readily to identified (e.g. Fox-and-Cubs, Mouse-eared Hawkbit). We believe that this is Bristly Oxtongue. Another plant which comes in many varieties is the thistle, not a universal favourite but in their place, glorious for their colour and a great food resource for many insects. Close inspection reveals that this pollen-dusted flower head has attracted a number of tiny green beetles, this particular thistle is probably a Meadow Thistle.

A morning jaunt to Cross Plain. The old railway track runs north/south along the valley, between Shute Shelve Hill to the east and Wavering Down to the south. Cross Plain is atop the western valley slope and leads on to Wavering Down.

On a fine summer's morning, it a great feeling to be above it all. The views are uplifting.

Unfortunately, there is little to be done about eyesore developments such as this, at the foot of Shute Shelve Hill. Perhaps a grove of tall trees might hide this tacky mess.

Up at Rowberrow, Tynings Farm riding centre is also the start of the path up to Black Down and Beacon Batch. In fine weather there are good views from the path of Steep Holm out in the Bristol Channel and a couple of years ago we got a great shot of the adjacent field filled with daisies.

The daisy swathe hasn't reoccurred but these clean skylines still strike me as special, perhaps it's the lure of what might be over the hill.

Black Down and Beacon Batch is a bit of a blasted heath in the colder seasons and somewhat of an acquired taste being mostly scrub heather and gorse. However, the views often make up for that because they cover both the north and the south. To the north, Bristol International airport and the 2nd Severn crossing, further round is Blagdon (not a Yorkshire colliery but a Somerset village) and Chew Magna lakes.

Black Down is dotted with clumps of heather which is now starting to bloom. I couldn't resist this shot.

And to Charterhouse, on a blisteringly hot day, with loosely-packed lunch of a fish bun and a bottle of water, in the hope of catching some late skylark song.

Up in the top corner of Charthouse there is a narrow path up to a kissing gate which leads into the "gruffy ground" proper. In high summer, the bracken, the wild raspberries, the cow parsley and rosebay willow herb form head-height walls on both sides of the path, you have to shoulder your way through. This part of the path is full of insects, which are food for the lizards which hang out in the heather and in turn, the lizards are food for the adders which live here. This dragonfly didn't mind me taking some close shots.

I was lucky enough to get some good shots of this High Brown fritillary on the slope of the hill above the path.

And there was a late skylark, singing its little heart out as it flew higher and higher, almost disappearing in the cloudless sky. Glorious.

Later that evening I took a stroll along the railway path, looking for glow worms and was able to capture some close detail of this lassie. It's pretty dense cover in there, the green fronds are sphagnum moss - you can see why she needs to light the way for a prospective mate.

The last time I walked to Wavering Down was about a year ago and it was in company with my sister Paula. We were both charmed to meet the British White park cattle also enjoying the view from the trig point.

Although it's less than 300m above sea level and quite tractable in most weathers, this is still an exposed position. Because of this, the wildflowers here grow close to the ground and are smaller than those in sheltered areas. This delicate little bouquet of wild thyme and euphrasia (eyebright) could fit on a 20p piece.

This time at the trig point there was a fresh and steady sea breeze blowing in from the Channel and it swished through the stiff grass which grows here. The slow, rhythmic rise and fall of the hiss of the wind through the grass made for a powerful soundtrack to accompany the magnificent view.

A tomato, the now-familar fish bun and a bottle of water completed my bliss.

Ngaio is back from Salzburg and we take a trip up to Charterhouse. The temperature is on the rise again, though a steady breeze makes the heat pleasant. The harebells are putting on a fine display. Combined with the wild marjoram and scabious, which are also in full bloom, the heath has a distinct lilac-blue dusting. In the air and on almost every flowerhead there are butterflies; blues, fritillaries, clouded yellows, marbled, large and small whites whilst overhead a skylark sings.

As well as innumerable butterflies, there are remarkably large numbers of dragonflies. Two darters, a male (red) and a female (yellow) take a break and allow us an excellent photo-opportunity.

They are probably Common Darters but there is also a slight possibility that they are Red-veined Darters, apparently the pterostigma (the "spots" on the wings) of Red-veined Darter are yellow in the centre with a brown outline. We can never get close enough to tell, so it remains their secret.

Our daily walks along the old Strawberry line nearly always include something of interest. There is a small meadow which occupies the corner between Kings Wood and Winscombe Tunnel cutting.

In spring, young rabbits sunbathe in the adjoining briar patch and in summer, when the meadow has just been mown, the air is full of swallows and martins, swooping and diving to streak along the length of the field just a few inches off the ground.

We were completely engaged in watching one such aerobatic display when suddenly we became aware that all the birds had disappeared and we were gazing at an empty field. We looked up to see a hawk flying powerfully overhead and, as we watched, a buzzard came swooping in at speed, attacked the hawk and drove it off. It was a fast flyer and before it disappeared from sight, we recognised the distinctive sickle-shaped wing outline of a peregrine falcon.

This is the meadow, nothing special ... except for the rabbits, songbirds, foxes, butterflies, dragonflies, peregrine falcons, etc. etc.

And some grass seedheads from in Kings Wood. Ngaio reckons it may be a form of Bent grass, I suppose we shall have to start being a little more discerning about our grasses as well.

This is where we go to listen to skylarks. Ubley Warren is rightly named, there is an extensive rabbit population here and the gorse bushes on the opposite slope of this shallow valley conceal a veritable rabbit-town.

Here on the Charterhouse side, the warrens are smaller but very cute - there is usually a level depression about 6' across and a few inches deep where the grass is so closely cropped that it resembles a bowling green and arranged around, in a (surprisingly neat) circle, are a number of stereotype burrows. Looks just like a little village green, straight out of an illustration for a children's book. "A rabbitation", Ngaio observed.

When you go to watch the skylarks, the best observing position is flat on your back amongst the flowers, looking up into the endless blue summer sky. If, after 20mins or so, in the interval, you sit up slowly and look round, just a few dozen feet away on either side there are groups of rabbits sat out on their village green eyeing you up. If you sink carefully back down, they just ignore you and hop about, happily unconcerned.

Mellow.