To the Crayford Marshes in search of Bees, Butterflies, Crane Flies, Ivy Bees, Wild Flowers &c.

We found some Ivy Bees almost immediately, in the Moat Lane area: where we saw them last year.

We then worked our way around to the Erith Yacht Club: seeing a couple of Crane Flies including this one:

There were quite few Butterflies out and about including Brown Argus, Clouded Yellow viz.

Common Blue, Small Copper, Small White and Speckled Wood Butterflies.

Standing beside the Thames and looking out across the Dartford Creek, we noticed a small party of Avocets: our first of the year viz.

Wild Flower' Species (flowering) included:

Black Horehound viz.

Bristly Oxtongue

Broad-Leaved Everlasting-Pea

Cock's-Foot viz.

Common Mallow

Common Ragwort

Common Restharrow viz.

Common Toadflax viz.

Hawkweed Oxtongue

Hedgerow Crane's-Bill

Hogweed

Lady's Bedstraw

Perennial Wall Rocket

Red Clover

Ribwort Plantain

Sand Medick viz.

Soapwort

White Campion

White Dead-Nettle

Wild Carrot

and Yarrow

Shipping wise, we noticed Ro-Ro  Cargo Vessel, Adeline, heading upstream, en-route to Ford of Dagenham: and Vegetable/Edible Oil Tanker, Purgo, heading away from the Erith Docks viz.