Large-flowered Hemp-nettle

This afternoon our local wildlife group held the last guided walk of the summer at Willow Tree Fen NR. I was the sole representative of the committee and did all the admin, but we were taken round by the warden, John Oliver. 

It was another strange day weatherwise - warm, grey and blowy - and there wasn't much to see in the way of wildlife, but he chatted entertainingly about the development and management of this fenland restoration project, and at one point produced five different Mustelid skulls, from weasel to badger! 

After the walk Pete and I dropped in at Baston Fen NR to see if we could find the Large-flowered Hemp-nettle - a spectacular species that I'd never photographed. This quest didn't prove very challenging as we found the first plant just a few metres from the car. Unfortunately conditions were far from ideal for photography - it was growing under a dense tree canopy, the sky was heavily overcast and the flowers were being buffeted by the wind. I had to use a ridiculously high ISO setting! I like this particular image because the top flower reminds me of a lady in a bonnet!

We stopped again briefly at a field of sunflowers (see extra) which were proving very popular with bumble bees. These are grown by Nicholas Watts of Vine House Farm, who has turned much of his farm over to bird seed production, and is a staunch supporter of the Wildlife Trusts.