A couple of weeks ago Hodnet Hall Gardens opened its doors for the 2025 season. We had other plans on the first two Sunday’s that it was open, a Chesterfield overnighter and a small family gathering for mother’s day and my mum’s birthday.
Today was the perfect opportunity for our first visit of the year. The sun was kind to us allowing us to sit outside and enjoy our lunch in the sunshine. Although served differently the smoked mackerel pâté was every bit as good as I remembered it from our previous lunches at Hodnet Hall.
Following lunch we strolled around the gardens, enjoying the spring flowers in the spring sunshine.
A perfect afternoon.
Tags: #walk1000miles, #walk1000miles2025, Hodnet Hall, Shropshire, Smoked Mackerel Pate
Giant leaf insects are native to the tropical forests of Malasia and Indonesia.
The leaf-like camouflage of these insects allows them to avoid being eaten whilst they eat the surrounding leaves.
However this camouflage is so effective that herbivores and other leaf insect do eat them by mistake.
Giant leaf insects are parthenogenic meaning that they can reproduce without mating. When doing so they only produce female offspring causing males to be very rare.*
*Information from a signboard next to the Leaf Insects
Tags: Stratford-upon-Avon, Stratford-upon-Avon - Butterfly Farm
Green Bean stick insects are native to the Caribbean including the islands of Grenada, St Vincent and Guadeloupe.
Both males and females have vestigial wings. This means that their evolutionary ancestors had wings and were capable of flight. However, the ability to fly became less useful and so their wings diminished over many generations until they became small and no longer worked.
Males are small and brown whereas females are large and green.
They feed on a variety of tree leaves native to the Caribbean but will happily eat bramble, eucalyptus and oak in the UK. *
*Information from a signboard next to the Stick Insects
Tags: Butterfly Farm, Green Bean Stick Insect, Stratford-upon-Avon, Stratford-upon-Avon - Butterfly Farm, Vacation, Warwickshire
B-Lines are a network of 3km wide pathways connecting the UK’s best remaining wildflower habitats.
In Autumn 2024, Buglife and Telford and Wrekin Council, collaborated to restore 12 hectares of flower-rich habitat in Telford within Buglife’s B-Lines network. This resulted in the restoration or enhancement of eight sites, including the meadow in front of you.
The nearby Middle Pool in Trench.
Tags: #walk1000miles, #walk1000miles2025, B-Line, Buglife, Middle Pool, Shropshire, Telford, Telford & Wrekin Council, Trench
Challenge completed and my medal is on its way.
The walk that completed my challenge was a post shift walk along the mile walk at Attingham Park. I need to get a new memory card for my camera so on this occasion there are no photos to share.
Tags: #walk1000miles, #walk1000miles2025, Attingham Park, Race the Distance, Shropshire, VE Day 80
A walk to Dothill Nature Reserve and back through Apley Woods taking the long way round.
Tags: #walk1000miles, #walk1000miles2025, Apley Woods, Dothill Nature Reserve, Portrait, Race the Distance, Self Portrait, Shropshire, Tee Lake, Tilley Hat, VE Day 80
