We spend some time in the Barber-Surgeons' Hall Garden in the City of London

After attending to an Appointment in the London Bridge area we decided to pop over London Bridge to the City of London and go in search of Wild Flowers &c.

With all the ongoing building work, sections of the City are becoming increasingly Characterless and Sterile but thankfully there are still places where we may see Bees, Birds (other than Feral Pigeons), Butterflies, Wild Flowers &c. At least for now.

Where to go? It had been many years since we had last visited the Barber-Surgeons' Hall Garden, located off London Wall, but we were hopeful of perhaps seeing something there, especially on the old Roman Wall. So off to the Barber-Surgeons' Hall Garden (Grid Reference TQ3281) we toddled.

And Yippee: shortly after arriving we were Super-Pleased to see a Holly Blue Butterfly visiting Golden Marjoram, flowering in the Physic Garden * viz.

There was a Mint Moth on the Marjoram viz.

The Marjoram proved attractive to other Little Critters too viz.

We also noticed a Red Admiral Butterfly and an unidentified White Butterfly fluttering by.

Plants seen included:

Buddleia
Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill
Hart's-Tongue Fern (seen here with Maidenhair Spleenwort and Pellitory-of-the-Wall) viz.

Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
(assumed) Least-Yellow Sorrel viz.

Maidenhair Spleenwort viz.

Mexican Fleabane
Oxford Ragwort
Pellitory-of-the-Wall (see Hart's-Tongue Fern)
Red Valerian
(an unidentified) St John's-Wort
Selfheal viz.

Wall-Rue (just a single Plant) viz.

and White Clover

The Garden is separated by a stretch of Water, a few Yards wide, from the Church of St Giles' Cripplegate. Growing in the Water we noticed Great Willowherb and Purple Loosestrife viz.

Birds seen included a Blackbird, Robin, Wood Pigeon and a Dunnock viz.

We were a little surprised to see a Grey Squirrel viz.

But vaguely remember seeing Squirrels in the City in the past.

Walking to Bishopsgate to catch a Bus back to London Bridge Railway Station, we passed the Church of All-Hallows-on-the-Wall and Wow, on nearby Walls, noticed Black-Spleenwort, Hart's-Tongue Fern (seen earlier in the day in the St Mary Aldermanbury Garden and the Barber-Surgeons' Hall Garden), Maidenhair Spleenwort (seen earlier in the day in the St Mary Aldermanbury Garden and the Barber-Surgeons' Hall Garden) and Wall-Rue (seen earlier in the day in the Barber-Surgeons' Hall Garden).

There were also quite a few what we assume to be, Rusty-Back Ferns, growing on the Walls viz.

* We understand that the Physic Garden has been established on the site of the thirteenth of twenty-one Bastions built by Emperor Hadrian in AD 122 and that the Plants chosen for the Garden were specifically mentioned by John Gerard (1545 to 1612) in his, Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes.