A Suffolk Lane

As I mentioned in my last post Neil and Francesca's home is surrounded by farmland, this is Surprise who lives on the farm next door.

Here is the lane they live on, their house is up the lane beyond the trees.

The field in the previous photo is growing wheat but barley is also grown along with maize,rapeseed and sugar beet. I think it's possible that the barley goes to Adnams the local brewery as it's in Southwold which is only about 40 minutes drive from Neil's house.

There were  lots of wildflowers along the lane and the many public footpaths that lead off it including the beautiful wild blue scabious.

One of my favourites is the beautiful pink convolvulus arvensis which grows everywhere. As it's common name is field bindweed I suspect that it isn't as popular with the local farmers as it is with me:)

I think that this is the prickly sow thistle - whatever it is it's very popular with the local insects, hoverflies, wasps etc The large hoverfly at the top is Heliphilus affinis and I think it's rather beautiful. The smaller one is I think Episyrphus balteatus or the marmalade hoverfly. If you click on the photo you'll be able to see the markings on both of them more clearly.

Equally popular was a stand of purple (spear?)thistles which was absolutely alive with bees, hoverflies and butterflies. The photo shows (yet another of my 'I thinks!) two white tailed bees and a small white butterfly on a single flower. I am as always open to correction on any of my attempts at identification :)

Edited to add that this is actually a female Large White butterfly - thanks Roy:)

All the hedgerows were thick with berries and fruits of all kinds - elder, blackberries,sloes and these which look to me like the fruit of the bird cherry in various stages of ripeness.

The highlight of my early morning walks though was seeing the hares, something which has always eluded me on previous visits in spite of Cesca saying that they're everywhere. Now I know which field track to find them on!

This particular morning provided me with a very special experience but this is the last photo I took as from this point on I was standing absolutely stock still. The hare looked as though he was going to cross the track and disappear into the maize but as I stood there he turned, looked  at me and then came lolloping straight towards me stopping a couple of times to gaze at me and eventually going slowly past about four feet to my right. I felt very privileged to be trusted that much by a wild creature.

The following day there were two of them and I saw them several times after that but never as close as the first time. There are lots of muntjac deer around too, mostly when I saw them I was driving and they crossed the lane in front of me - happily always at a good enough distance for me to slow down and stop. The lanes are narrow and twisty, only wide enough for one car in many places so driving at any speed isn't a wise option. The only one I saw when walking came out of the wood,  crossed the track and had disappeared into the maize before I had chance to take a photo so I've borrowed the image below from the internet.