A Year in the Valley

Compared to last month, Little Venice is back under water again.  It is so full of pondweed and algae, that I keep expecting to see frog and toad spawn.  That wouldn’t be a good thing though, as fingers crossed the path will dry out soon.  As with the valley, there is a lot of new green growth sprouting through the dead grass – buttercup, cleavers, bedstraws, lesser celandines, docks, reed canary grass and a few clumps of HWD.  I had thought they would come up easily through the soft mud, but Mr C said the suction was phenomenally strong and it would be easier when the ground has dried out a bit.  Yellow flowers include – kingcup (still!), lesser celandine, dandelion and the first buttercup.  Some of the willows have pussy willow buds on them.  Soon, I will have another go at identifying our willows and the neighbouring overhanging ones.  We have at least two different types, not counting the weeping willow.

There are green shoots everywhere.  Fresh young grass is growing through the hay-like drifts of dead foliage.  There are sizeable clumps of hemlock water dropwort across the valley and blue-green brushstrokes of iris just in front of them on the right.  The line of the middle stream is visible cutting through the picture.  I will be excited to venture down to our stream.  I wonder what erosion there has been during the flooding.  I didn’t expect us to be flooded for the best part of four months, but that is what has happened apart from a couple of odd weeks.