Beautiful morning on Good Friday. I took the chance to walk the perimeter of the Red and Blue courses in particular to have a look at the spring flowers. It was apt that one of the flowers in evidence, for those prepared to search, is Moschatel, which is also known as the Good Friday Plant. It grows in most of the shady wooded areas on the course, but its green flowers are hard to spot.
Moschatel Adoxa moschatellina [18th Green]
More conspicuous in the wood behind the 6th Blue is Wood Sorrel, which is a delicate white flower with distinctive clover-like leaves.
Wood Sorrel Oxalis acetosella [6th Blue]
The wood to the left of the 13th Red is full of Yellow Archangel which has distinctive variagated foliage and yellow flowers.
Yellow Archangel Lamium galeobdolon [13th Red]
Other flowers include Honesty a colourful roadside weed and Greater Periwinkle on the left of the 17th Green.
Honesty [Doghouse range]
Greater Periwinkle Vinca major [17th Green]
Brimstones are usually the first butterfly to appear in spring. This one had settled on a Dandelion at the back of the 9th on the Blue.
Common Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni [9th Blue]
In the long grass to the left of the 3rd Blue I came across this Ruby Tiger moth.
Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa [3rd Blue]
A Little Grebe was on the pond nearby. I watched it briefly before it dived under the water and must have swum to the undergrowth as I couldn't spot it again.
Little Grebe [3rd Blue]
This Blackcap was singing in the trees above the bridge between the Red and Blue courses.
Had a walk around the Blue and Red first thing. The Gadwalls had temporarily moved from the reservoir to the pond on the 3rd of the Blue - this is the male.
Gadwall [3rd Blue]
There were plenty of Mallards about on the 4th and 5th fairways. I often see this male, which is a Mallard, but with rather aberrant plumage, although it doesn't look to have stopped him finding a mate:
Mallards [5th Blue]
There were plenty of Blackcaps singing. This one was behind the 6th tee on the Blue:
Around the reservoir, the Common Sandpiper seems to be a fixture now:
Common Sandpiper [Reservoir]
There were also some House Martins along with the Swallows. These are the first that I have seen this year - notice the shorter tail and White Rump.
House Martins (Reservoir)
I walked around Boundary Fen, which is the marshy area to the left of the 13th on the Red which has been worked on by Abingdon Green Gym over lockdown. I couldn't see too many new flowers there, but there was some White Comfrey behind the 14th tee.
White Comfrey Symphytum orientale [14th Red]
The small wood to the left of the 13th tee is full of Yellow Archangel, a rather attractive flower with variegated leaves, as well as Stinging Nettles - so don't go in wearing shorts.
Finally I called in at the Doghouse range to scan the short grass for anything unusual. I managed to spot Subterranean Clover, which is quite rare, particularly away from the sea and one of the specialty of the estate. It gets its name from the way that it's fruits bury themselves underground, planting themselves. It is a tiny plant - I put a tee in the picture to give an idea of scale:
