Ripley CastleOur day out at Ripley Castle turned out much better than expected. Following a cloudy start we experienced periods of warm sunshine. There had been downpours of rain elsewhere. Our group of 12 followed a variety of options. Brian and Jean enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the gardens followed by lunch, tea and ice cream! Helen opted for an historical tour of the castle. Marilyn and Lorna explored the kitchen garden and herbaceous borders. The majority of the party enjoyed a circular walk around the lake taking in some superb vistas of the lake and castle and views of a herd of Fallow deer but more especially views of the ancient trees - 
FungusOak and Sweet Chestnut for which the park is famed. Some extraordinary photos of fungi and other species were taken by Sue.All seemed quiet on the avian scene with 16 records. A family of Goldcrest had evoked delight prior to our walk. Other birds seen included Greylag Geese on the lake and grassland, Heron in the trees, House martins around the castle and a Red Kite overhead.
Alice recorded 6 fern species and 108 plant species, of which 94 had flowers and the rest were in fruit
Red AdmiralThe special plants included Nodding Bur Marigold, Common Skullcap, Marsh Woundwort, Water Pepper and Fairy Foxglove growing on the walls below the castle. The herbaceous borders of the walled garden were a riot of floral colour and also the venue of 5 species of butterfly dancing among the flowers when the sun shone. They included Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Comma and Speckled Wood. The kitchen garden contained an interesting variety of fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, knot garden and wild flower meadow. September is a delightful month and it was our good fortune with the weather that allowed us to enjoy our visit to the full.
Margaret