Prenuptial

I felt a bit weary this morning, but was revitalised by Aidan, who manages the LoveLincsPlants project, delivering all the materials to create the herbarium specimens which will form a vital record of Lincolnshire's flora in the 21st century. My studio now has a plant dryer, five plant presses and all the necessary accoutrements to make specimens that will be stored for posterity in the Natural History Museum and the Sir Joseph Banks Institute.

Around his visit I spent time entering more data and preparing for a very long day of fieldwork tomorrow. Then it was time to take Ben to the City College to sit an exam for his OU maths degree. So much less stressful than last year's A levels!

By the time I got back my head was buzzing so I went for a restorative walk along the river. I've never seen so many Banded Demoiselle, glittering drifts of them in every sheltered, sunny spot.  There were also plenty of Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and one Variable Damselfly, a rather local species that tends to prefer clean water, but seems to hang on in the riverside pools even though they're very nutrient-rich. I also saw one male Scarce Chaser and a Black-tailed Skimmer, so a very decent assemblage.

Off to bed soon - it's a very early start for us!