Ladies' tresses on Levin Down today

The native orchid, Autumn Lady's-tresses, is flowering now.  It is tiny and easily overlooked.

The glamorous Sandra from Somerset posed with this tiny orchid, which you might just see in the foreground just off-centre to the left.  There were a dozen or so of these orchid flowers within yards of this bench.
 

Pensioners make temporary bridge repair this morning enhancing its rustic charm.

Retired managing directors don't just fade away.  In this case they take to the woods to mend things -- like a rotten bridge.  The bearers look dodgy there Stephen -- just flip it over to take a look!

Crumbs... the supports are rotting and crumbling!

Fell an undesirable non-native oak...

and a coppiced chestnut that needed re-coppicing anyway.

Place the oak and chestnut trunks over the stream and flip the sound remains of the bridge back over. Then make good with some new planks.

The repaired bridge is now much sturdier and has a greatly enhanced rustic charm to it.  Nice work Stephen!  Job (almost) well done.

Spangle Galls on the underside of oak leaves today in a Sussex wood.

Caused by a wasp, how strange these galls appear.