Taking a breather

At this time of year, the meadows begin to take on a slightly different feel.  The promise of spring has passed and many of the wildflowers and grasses have gone over and set seed. Most of the hay has been cut and the early season hum of pollinating insects seems to have been replaced by the click and whirr of grasshoppers and crickets or the buzz of wasps and hornets as they begin to feed on the early blackberries and ripening plums and bullaces in the hedges.
The vibrant greens of spring and summer growth  have given way to the deeper greens of lengthening shadows and mature leaves against a back drop of the most fantastic Suffolk August skies.
The meadows feel as if they are quietly resting in the late summer sun.