The brilliant pink heads of Common Knapweed have to be hunted for carefully in Crane Park. This thistle-lookalike can be found on Crane Park Island in the meadow to the west of the reserve.

June is a month that blazes. It is probably the finest month for wild flowers in the Crane Valley. Meadows and verges hum to an abundance of insect life.

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Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > A pair of Azure Damselfies mating by the edge of the Millenium Pond on Crane Park Island.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > Even the succulent stems of the familiar Bramble ooze with vibrant colour on a sunny June morning.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > Hedge Woundwort is a common grassy verge plant in bloom in Crane Park in June. This one is being visted by Eysarcoris fabricii, a shieldbug that loves this plant so much that is otherwise known as the Woundwort Shieldbug.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > A dew droplet prepares to fall from the new buds of Cleavers, one of the most abundant plants in Crane Park. Cleavers has hundreds of alternative names due to the fact that its numerous tiny curly prickles allow it to stick to almost any surface.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > The brilliant pink heads of Common Knapweed have to be hunted for carefully in Crane Park. This thistle-lookalike can be found on Crane Park Island in the meadow to the west of the reserve.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > June brings the welcome sight of Common Poppies bursting into bloom in meadows. This is a truly iconic flower of the summer to come. Some of the best along the Crane can be found near Hospital Bridge Road.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > While many plants are only beginning their cycle in June, others are on the turn. The best season for Cow Parsley is over and some of the leaves turn an astonishing crimson as the plant fades for the season.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > The ubiquitous Creeping Thistle is seeding in June and these "shaving brushes" are readily found in patches of open ground along the Crane.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > Two-spot ladybirds are not uncommon along the Crane, sometimes red spots on black as well as the more common black spots on red.

The brilliant pink heads of Common Knapweed have to be hunted for carefully in Crane Park. This thistle-lookalike can be found on Crane Park Island in the meadow to the west of the reserve.