This plant at Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk was a magnet for small bees. We watched them come and go, filling up their little saddlebags. Photos of bees in flight don’t often work well. These are no exception. Still, they do catch the general bizzyness of the proceedings. The plant was lovely, not one we knew. Another new bee plant find for the year, along with Hyssop.
The medieval core of Oxburgh Hall dates from 1482. In the Victorian era, a number of features were added, including oriel windows overlooking the moat (see above), crow- (‘flemish’) stepped gables and a number of tall terracotta chimneys, all differently patterned. Here are some of them.
1482
RINGLET BUTTERFLIES AT OXBURGH HALL, NORFOLK
A fine medieval, moated great house, dating from 1482 with additions – mainly Victorian – and renovations. It is now a National Trust property. There are small formal gardens, some well-planted borders with many bee- and butterfly-friendly flowers, a thriving kitchen garden, and large areas of grassland and meadow all around the house. There’ll be more from this house in due course; for now, here are some ringlets, one of several plentiful butterfly species. Apologies to the ones caught in flagrante delicto, not that they noticed…
ROLLING HARBOUR GALLERY 