Fern Expedition

Last Sunday we visited quarry 't Rooth for a fern "expedition".

The kenderman is a member of the Dutch Fern society and I was allowed to join them.
The weather was perfect and the group was small...

Our guide had the key to this abandoned quarry.
This area is closed of and managed by the Limburgs Landschap.

 a not so rare but (to me) very beautiful chalk loving Asplenium trichomanes

(link in English and Dutch)

Polystichum aculeatum a.k.a. hard shield-fern (link in English and Dutch)

a rare and to me a new thistle : Carlina vulgaris (link in Dutch)

 a to me new Dipsacus: Dipsacus pilosus (link in Dutch)

Asplenium ceterach aka Rustyback (link in English and Dutch)

And just before we split up... some giveaways to whoever interested in ferns.

You can find a link to more fern posts here

Winter's Day

What do you like to do on a grey winter's day?

We love a nature walk with good friends.

Old Habits Die Hard

Perhaps you remember how much I love this beautiful coastal area,
the border between Belgium and the Netherlands, 't Zwin

I'm a regular visitor for almost 40 years now.

On Wednesday: sun, wind and rain... we had it all!

The land in the sun is just across the border and therefore Dutch territory...

Done beachcombing in Belgium we crossed the border to meet some good friends...

We'll be back again... next week! (big smile)

for a large variety of beautiful photos form earlier visits click here

Peel Blue

What better thing to do than spend some quality time with friends!

Fab Frog

The time has come to spot some European tree frogs again...

Earlier posts here and here.

No kèk-kèk-kèk-kèk-kèk sounds today but nevertheless we did find them.....

a younster looking back... you can see the tiny skin folds

Cool Walk

YES!!!! Today much cooler temperatures!

Time for another hike at Wijvenheide.

(photos from our earlier walk here)

Still visible the effect of the long drought....

Exhausting Heat Wave

In the middle of an exhausting heat wave it's obvious to visit the beach...
So we headed for the North Sea. To Zwin nature park again.

We saw lots of storks in the surrounding fields...

After a short but very warm walk we arrived at the foot of the hot sand dunes...
and we could take a breath of fresh air at the slightly cooler and quiet beach

Even now, during this heat wave, we had the beach almost to ourselves...

You can see our earlier visits (beautiful photos!) to our favourite beach here