Another sunny day, but not much new to report. Still just the same few bee species around and not much else on the wing. After that first flush of Brimstone butterflies I have seen no more.

Walking past two Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera) trees today I noticed that they looked somewhat different. One, the predominant one on the Downs right now, had slightly smaller all white flowers compared to the other’s larger faintly pink flowers. The first had green leaves while the other had purplish leaves. Had this different looking one been on its own I might have just walked past thinking “more of the same”. I suspect this one is an ornamental cultivar of the Cherry Plum, the purplish leaves suggesting that it may be P. cerasifera var pissardii. I will keep checking these two trees once the leaves are fully open and as the fruits begin to form and then ripen to see if this ID is correct.

Another wildflower has appeared and had I taken a different path across the grassland I would have missed the single rather inconspicuous Common Field Speedwell (Veronica persica) nestling in the grass.

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