June
June should be hay month in the Valley when the air is heavily scented with the smell of new mown grass. In recent years however June has been less co-operative in terms of the 3-5 days dry weather that is required to cut, turn and bale the hay so farmers have had to catch it when they can or resort to silage. Most prefer a small quantity of hay for calves or sheep. Old style hay meadows like Sylvia’s Meadow near St Ann’s Chapel are at their peak this month with a good display of orchids and other wild flowers – contact Cornwall Wildlife Trust for opening arrangements. In the hedgerows the brilliant displays of red, white and blue in May have given way to rampant ferns and tall umbellifers topped by the dramatic tall purple spikes of foxgloves. Near the estuary look out for the pungent glossy leaved umbellifer Alexanders – an alien that was introduced to Britain supposedly by the Romans as a spring vegetable and tonic, and then propagated by monks in medieval times in their herb gardens. It seems happiest within a mile or so of tidal waters.
One of Britain’s rarest butterflies, the Heath fritillary is out and about in the Valley in June. It only occurs on a few woodland sites where the habitat is specifically managed for its needs, like Greenscombe Woods near Luckett, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, but open to the public at any time. It has recently been reintroduced to a new site near Gulworthy, Devon where it was once recorded but became extinct, through a partnership project managed by the AONB. It is only on the wing when the weather is warm and sunny, so time your visit well!
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