Flora and Fauna from a small corner of Derbyshire ( Belper Parks)

Common Thistle

Belper Parks from the Market Head

Mallow

Purple Vetch

Skipper at rest

The Yellow Rattle is nearly over

Scabious

The Coppice Brook runs through a large meadow where a wide variety of wild flowers bloom

The pathway comes out near the Coppice Brook

Coppice Brook

'Mr Beech' is one of my favourite trees to visit - her is where I found an owl feather just after completing my 'Tashi Owl picture! ( see post from 20th June)

I love the play of sunlight through the trees

Speckled Wood butterfly

Leaving behind the open meadow the pathway winds down through the woods

Meadow Brown butterfly

The large Skipper butterfly is a common sight here

Two years ago I hopped over the border from Nottinghamshire to Derbyshire, two counties in the midland area of England, and came to live in a little house at the top of a hill in a small town called Belper. One of the attractions for me, in buying this house, was its close proximity to an area of woods and meadowland - a local nature reserve known as 'Belper Parks'. This is the only remaining piece of a once much larger Royal Park, used for the hunting of deer and game known as 'Duffield Frith'. The land was sold by King Charles 1st in 1628 and became farmland, before the designation as a nature reserve.

The grasses are beautiful in evening sunlight

  Since moving here I've enjoyed many strolls through the mixed woodland and meadows enjoying all the seasonal changes. Since I'm likely to be soon on the move again I feel it is hight time I shared a few pictures of this lovely spot. These pictures were taken over the last week or so..early July, when we have been experiencing some exceptionally high temperatures.

The view across the grassland from the pathway close to my house.