A day of alternate Rain and Sunshine

We decided to pop down to the Grounds of St John the Baptist, Erith, to see whether the Bee Orchids had survived the Council' strimming. As expected: they hadn't. 

We then walked down Church Manorway to the Footpath linking it to the Thames Path: where we walked a few hundred yards upstream before turning round and walking back along the Thames Path to Corinthian Manorway.

Before heading along Church Manorway we walked along the Lower Road to look at the Wild Clary: where we also saw two Common Blue Butterflies viz.

In the small pool beside Church Manorway we saw a (female) Pochard viz.

We think Reed Warblers were present too. We had always hoped to see Tufted Ducks there: but super-pleased to see the Pochard. We wonder if a male is present: ducklings too? 

Wild Flower' species seen included (in general order of sighting): 

White Campion

Wild Clary

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Wild Mignonette

Perennial Wall-Rocket

Hoary Mustard

Common Mallow

Oxford Ragwort

Common Ragwort

Meadow Buttercup

Common Bramble

Bristly Oxtongue

Green Alkanet

Creeping Cinquefoil

Red Poppy 

Yarrow

Tufted Vetch

Common Knapweed

Lady's Bedstraw

Ribwort Plantain

Common Vetch

Creeping Thistle

Hedgerow Crane's-Bill

Red Campion

White Dead-Nettle

Cow Parsley

Hogweed

Sea Beet

Hoary Cress

Narrow-Leaved Ragwort

White Stonecrop

Hemlock Water Dropwort

Sea Arrowgrass

Sea Plantain

English Scurvygrass

Sea Couch Grass

Sea Aster

Sea Purslane

Sea Milkwort

Prickly Lettuce

Lesser Sea-Spurrey

White Bryony

Black Nightshade

Golden Samphire

Buddleia 

and Bladder Campion

As mentioned, a day of alternate Rain and Sunshine. And some impressive Clouds viz.