We've had a lovely spell of sunny weather recently, the hedgerows are full of wildflowers and fledgling birds and the trees are all starting to have berries, keys and cones on them. Last year was a good year for oaks and this year looks like it will be good for beech as they seem to be covered in mast. I spotted a strange gall growing on the alder "cones" its caused by a fungus and only came into this country in the 1940's and has been spreading since. It doesn't seem to be harmful. The pheasant breeding season seems to have fizzled out and most of the males now look really tatty so I think they must be moulting. The tame pheasant had disappeared for a while then turned up with two chicks, sadly they were probably the last of a large brood and over the weekend they too seem to have gone.  I think the squirrels must have young too, judging by the photo below. There are lots of nettles in the garden and on the lane and we saw this mass of Peacock caterpillars on an evening walk.

Alder tongue gall

Pheasant and chicks

Peacock caterpillars

Female squirrel