Our daily woodland hikes never fail to reveal to us something new. Whether it's the sudden eruption out of the forest floor of another colourful mushroom, or the blooming of a wildflower that we haven't before seen in the ravine's forested enclave, or the chance arrival of a bird passing through aside from those that regularly populate the woods, these sights never fail to intrigue us.

Apart from which we get our daily dose of quality exercise in a venue that is wholesomely attractive and fascinating to us. As for our two little dogs whatever would they do without those daily excursions? When they come across the fleeting presence of other animals, spurring them to momentarily spurt after the odd squirrel, or a robin pecking at grit on the trail, or other dogs familiar to them with whom they can commune briefly and even enjoy a run-about with.

On our walks this week it has been with the expectation that thunderstorms could erupt at any moment, so we hike there in partial sun, eclipsed by dark clouds entering the atmosphere which occasionally give noisy warnings of what's to come, but just as often don't eventuate into a downpour; it hits somewhere else in the near vicinity and obligingly visits us later when we're snug and dry at home.

Fleabane

We see that daisies are still blooming afresh here and there, and there are the occasional  Fleabane resisting the urge to decline after long bloom periods. The one area in the ravine where we've previously come across mullein still hosts last year's dried-up stalks, but there's no sign whatever that they plan on returning.

We came across what I believe to be Red Campion for the first time that I can recall in the ravine among the wildflowers. Yarrow is in bloom and Queen Anne's Lace proliferates everywhere as does Goldenrod.

We have never seen the display of flowering Jewelweed that is present this year; all the rain that we've been subjected to has encouraged their bloom; usually the plants that have crowded one fairly open area of the woods don't grow as tall as they have this year, nor dedicate themselves to such generous flowering.