Portchester Common

This weekend we discovered that Portchester has a common!!  It's right at the top of Portsdown Hill and full of wild flowers, butterflies and bees.

There are definitely a few signs around of Autumn being on it's way now. Blackberries ripening in the hedges and beautiful red Hawthorn berries on the branches.

 But lots of late summer wild flowers around as well! Ragwort and Yarrow with Self- Heal and Scabious growing in abundance here.

Hannah spotted many butterflies amongst the flowers, especially the Meadow Brown Butterfly.

She watched a Kestrel circling over head and then swooping down to it's prey.

We found Sweet Peas clambering over the shrubs and brambles, and quite a few Cinnabar Moths on the flowers nearby.

 Hannah took her silk streamer to fly in the wind !!

This is Portchester Castle as seen from the top of the hill (with a zoom lens!), and Spinnaker Tower in the distance.

 And the view over Portsmouth and Fareham without the zoom!

It's a lovely area for a walk and I'm sure we will be going back soon!