Bugle

What a day! It was 27 degrees at the nature reserve - too hot for digging out birch scrub in a baking chalk pit - so we finished our work party early and looked at flowers and insects instead. Many flowers are making terrific growth in this mini heatwave. These bugle plants still had many of their flowers in tight buds 3 days ago - now they are fully out, looking just like their Somerset local name of 'Baby's Rattle' or their Austrian name 'Blauer Kirchturm' (Blue Steeple).