"Morning" said the passer-by. "Another grey day " ...not for me it isn't!

I you look hard and not with a heavy heart and a 'grey day' mindset, you will see that these dried flowers of the wild Marjoram have literally painted the hills with a delicate purple overlay.

These are a very import part of this complexed ecosystem that is an ancient South downs meadow. The flowers bloom in about July when the Marbled white butterflies are in flight and making the most the delicately flavoured herbal nectar of these plants. Those particular butterflies also settle on the blossoms later afternoon and sleep on them overnight.

At the end of summer the flowers and the marbled whites die and just about every plant shrivels up for winter except for the 'magic' Marjoram and next Spring emerging Blues of all different types and the migratory Painted ladies sleep on them too. I feel that these flowers are overlooked and underrated and thought perhaps you all might to know what Maria and I have discovered over the last couple of years? I shall taking out small groups or individuals just as soon as Spring is in the air and those supposedly grey days are gone. Steve.