Yarley Fields

Yarley Fields in Winter – Wookey Parish, Somerset, UK. ID 825_3639

Yarley Fields

Yarley Fields lies on the south facing slope of Yarley Hill looking over the Somerset Levels, Avalon Marshes and Glastonbury Tor.   The Avalon Marshes website states:

They are mainly unimproved grassland best seen in spring and summer.

So I decided to visit in snow with a wind chill of about minus 15C.

Yarley Fields in Winter – Wookey Parish, Somerset, UK. ID 825_3663

This small Somerset Wildlife Trust nature reserve is a hidden gem covered in ant hills.  These are evidence of the traditional farming undertaken for many years.

Yarley Fields in Winter – Wookey Parish, Somerset, UK. ID 825_3703

The reserve has great views across the Somerset Levels and the Avalon Marshes.

Yarley Fields in Winter – Wookey Parish, Somerset, UK. ID 825_3800

But autumn is the best time to catch a beautiful morning mist.

September Mist in 2015 – View from Yarley Fields, Somerset, UK. ID 804_8628

Ant Hills

Today the snow was wonderful but the sky was drab so I focused on the small details of the reserve.  The most obvious of these being the huge numbers of ant hills.

Ant Hills – Yarley Fields, Somerset, UK. ID 825_3687

In the snow their silhouette was outlined by the grass.

Ant Hills – Yarley Fields, Somerset, UK. ID 825_3680

Ant Hills – Yarley Fields, Somerset, UK. ID 825_3685

Rushes

In the damper sections rushes poke through the snow.

Rush – Yarley Fields, Somerset, UK. ID 825_3721

And Finally…

The ant hills are not always covered in snow.  This was taken at the same time of year a few years ago.

Early morning at Yarley Fields – Somerset, UK. ID Yarley_Morning