When the sun was shining brightly on Sunday, I had an urge to go out and about to find some wild flowers. After a quick peruse of the Wildlife Trust sites that fall in Gloucestershire, I grabbed my equipment and headed towards Cirencester in search of the beautiful and delicate Pasque Flower.

By following Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s helpful directions, I found the quiet site and began the flower hunt. Pasque Flowers have a very small blooming window in late April or early May, so I was nervous to think they may have already gone over. However, after 10 minutes of making sure to follow the right path, I spotted the stunning purple petals and to my joy, more quickly became noticeable. They really were gorgeous, especially when doused in sunlight!

After photographing the Pasque Flowers, I carried on the walk in hopes of seeing Early Purple Orchids and luckily, quickly stumbled upon a large patch. Having wanted to see wild Orchids for so long but never quite managing to, it was a lovely moment and they were simply delightful! I also saw a Red Kite, a Kestrel, Lapwings – one even mobbed the Red Kite, brave thing! – and a hare to name a few.

With the weather as glorious as it was, I decided to take a detour to Mythe Railway on the way home. Once part of a Royal Hunting Forest for King John, the quiet Mythe Railway is a lovely place to go to get away from it all; plus, with a wooded area and meadow next to the river, it’s a great place for plants and butterflies. There’s also plenty of bird life and I was fortunate enough to hear and – eventually – see a Cuckoo, which ended the day nicely!

It was a great to be at the nature reserves in the sun and I certainly had an excellent day for flora and fauna species!