Middlesex Fells in June

Photos taken on the Rock Circuit and Cross Fells Trails in Middlesex Fells, June 14, 2008. See also the photos from my previous hike at the Fells in May here.

Ribbit! It's Mr. Toad. I've got a few more photos of him in my Froggy Page gallery.

The pink corydalises which were so plentiful in May were still blooming on the rock outcroppings.

There were also yellow hawkweeds in sunny spots. You might mistake these for dandelions from a distance.

Here's a nice patch of ferns on a rocky part of the trail.

Fragrant roses in bloom by the cascade.

Closeup of the roses.

This is a dogbane; because the flowers are pink rather than white, I'm pretty sure it's a spreading dogbane rather than the closely related indian hemp. They're both poisonous plants.

My real purpose in going back to the Fells was to see whether the many green blueberries I'd seen on the rocks 3 weeks before were ready to eat yet after the spell of very hot weather earlier in the week. Alas, not yet!

It was starting to get hot in the sun, and with no blueberries as incentive I abandoned the Rock Circuit trail and wandered off on a shadier trail through the woods instead. Here I saw several patches of bristly sarsaparilla blooming.

This is a bush honeysuckle, found growing in the forest near the stream that eventually forms the cascade.

A maple-leaf viburnum, also along the shady forest path.

This is a sassafras seedling. These trees are a little unusual in that the leaves variously have 1, 2, or 3 lobes, instead of all being the same shape.

Following another trail I came out on another sunny rock outcropping where I found these blue toadflax growing.

These flowers are bastard toadflax and were also growing in sunny areas.

The blueberries were not ripe here yet either.

The buttercups were growing in a damp area by a small stream.

The trail led through an open piney forest.

These little flowers are cow-wheat, and were growing in the piney forest.

Yellow stargrass, a member of the lily family found growing in the shady forest.

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	Ribbit! It's Mr. Toad. I've got a few more photos of him in my Froggy Page gallery.
	The pink corydalises which were so plentiful in May were still blooming on the rock outcroppings.
	There were also yellow hawkweeds in sunny spots. You might mistake these for dandelions from a distance.
	Here's a nice patch of ferns on a rocky part of the trail.
	Fragrant roses in bloom by the cascade.
	Closeup of the roses.
	This is a dogbane; because the flowers are pink rather than white, I'm pretty sure it's a spreading dogbane rather than the closely related indian hemp. They're both poisonous plants.
	My real purpose in going back to the Fells was to see whether the many green blueberries I'd seen on the rocks 3 weeks before were ready to eat yet after the spell of very hot weather earlier in the week. Alas, not yet!
	It was starting to get hot in the sun, and with no blueberries as incentive I abandoned the Rock Circuit trail and wandered off on a shadier trail through the woods instead. Here I saw several patches of bristly sarsaparilla blooming.
	This is a bush honeysuckle, found growing in the forest near the stream that eventually forms the cascade.
	A maple-leaf viburnum, also along the shady forest path.
	This is a sassafras seedling. These trees are a little unusual in that the leaves variously have 1, 2, or 3 lobes, instead of all being the same shape.
	Following another trail I came out on another sunny rock outcropping where I found these blue toadflax growing.
	These flowers are bastard toadflax and were also growing in sunny areas.
	The blueberries were not ripe here yet either.
	The buttercups were growing in a damp area by a small stream.
	The trail led through an open piney forest.
	These little flowers are cow-wheat, and were growing in the piney forest.
	Yellow stargrass, a member of the lily family found growing in the shady forest.