The one thing that all this self-isolation has brought home to me is just how beautiful our Devon lanes are in springtime with the banks bursting with a
colourful profusion of wild flowers. Walking the Upton loop has been delightful – swathes of Red Campion merge with drifts of white Stitchwort and Cow Parsley, all combined with the blue of the sweet scented English Bluebells and Bird’s Eye Speedwell. Should we perhaps name this walk the Patriot’s Loop? There has also been a profusion of Vetches, Violets, wild Geraniums, Wood Anemones, a small patch of 
double Primroses, a sizeable patch of Crosswort (Smooth Bedstraw) and countless others. It has made me realise how little I know about our local wild flowers and just how much I have to learn. To cap this floral abundance we also heard a Whitethroat singing at Upton.
This has been an amazing year for Bee Flies. They are really true flies
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and not bees at all. To see one up close can be a little intimidating, as it has an incredibly long proboscis, but this is not a weapon but is used for sipping nectar. Although they are incapable of harming people, they are a parasite of solitary bees.
It has also been a good spring for butterflies. Orange-tips were late to emerge, but are having a great year. Another abundant species has been the Holly Blue, which not only loves holly but also, later in the year, ivy. They were uncommon when we lived in Sussex where we were far more likely to see the Common Blue, unlike in Payhembury where it is quite the reverse.
Andrew and Cherry alerted me to the numbers of Willow Warblers and Blackcaps 
in their garden. The Willow Warblers are more likely to nest in their hedge-lines, as there is far less human interference, unlike the Blackcaps, which have spread out across the village in good numbers. All is well with the avian world – the Swifts have returned and can be seen swooping around our skies. Summer will soon be here!
I would like to offer a big thank you to all those who bought bamboo canes and tomato plants from outside the gate, raising £55.43 for Devon Hospisecare, to which we have also added a personal contribution.
Paul Lister 841696
