Leaving urban Hackbridge Road behind me, I follow a footpath along the River Wandle to the entrance of the reserve.  It’s the perfect day for visiting a shady river-bounded reserve.

The understory plants includes green alkanet (pictured), bittersweet (aka woody nightshade), hemlock water dropwort, a plant in the mint family I can’t identify and a patch of rosebay willowherb.

I stay by the willowherb for a while watching speckled wood butterflies fighting and bees visiting. I think this one’s a common carder bee.