Flower & Butterflies

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="0c0fd5a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Gites at La Vergne News</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gites at La Vergne News"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="another_year_farming.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Another Year Farming">Another Year Farming</A>   |   <A HREF="filming_zone_libre.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Filming Zone Libre">Filming Zone Libre</A>   |   <A HREF="music_at_st_germain.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Music at St. Germain">Music at St. Germain</A>   |   <B>Flower & Butterflies</B>   |   <A HREF="long_hot_summer_days.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Long Hot Summer Days">Long Hot Summer Days</A>   |   <A HREF="visitors.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Visitors">Visitors</A>   |   <A HREF="the_marsh_girls.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Marsh Girls">The Marsh Girls</A>   |   <A HREF="andrew__hilary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Andrew Hilary">Andrew & Hilary</A>   |   <A HREF="christmas__new_year_wishes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Christmas New Year Wishes">Christmas & New Year Wishes</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=247 style="border-right: 3px solid #000000;" BGCOLOR="#FFFF66" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="mailto:gites@amarsh.com.fr" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:gites@amarsh.com.fr"><IMG SRC="114cd890.jpg" border=0 width="205" height="137" ALT="Gites at La Vergne Logo" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> <div> Click Photo to contact us</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="216" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#FFCC33" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_commanderie.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_commanderie."><IMG SRC="29dcd7c0.jpg" border=0 width="205" height="124" ALT="La Commanderie gite" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 160 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_petite_maison.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_petite_maiso"><IMG SRC="29ecd9a0.jpg" border=0 width="205" height="154" ALT="La Petite Maison gite" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 160 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/chambre_d_hotes.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/chambre_d_hotes"><IMG SRC="29fcd9a0.jpg" border=0 width="205" height="154" ALT="Chambres d'Hotes bed & breakfast" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=310 width="100%" colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Flower & Butterflies</I></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="584" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 339 WIDTH="344"><div> In early spring whilst Andrew was checking the cattle in our water meadow he came across some unusual flowers which he had not seen before. He came back and was so keen to find out their name that he returned to take some photos and posted them on our news blogg. We were very grateful to Liz and John Mason for naming these flowers. Snakeshead Fritillary is the  common name for <I>fritillaria meleagris</I>. Fritillary refers to the colouration of the flowers. They are a checkered reddish-brown, purple, white and grey. Other common names are Guinea-hen flower this is because the checkerboard pattern resembles the patterning on guinea fowl, for which reason the species is named meleagris, meaning 'guinea fowl '. The name Fritillaria, means 'dicing box' because  the hanging flowers' resemble a wicker-</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3e5fa4d0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 57 WIDTH="576"><div> woven dicebox). Snakeshead because the shape of the unopened bud resembles that of  a snake's head.</div> <div> They appear in  undisturbed water meadows in early spring and are rare. </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="585" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 231 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3e72ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALT="Cowslips" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="278"><div> During spring the grass verges are regularly carpeted with cowslips and Hilary is often woken in the early hours of late spring nights by the exquisite singing of nightingales.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 231 WIDTH="296"><div> During July we were treated to the viewing of this little beauty a Scarce Swallowtail  <I>Iphiclides podalirius</I>, we often see deer frolicking in our nearby fields and feel privileged to be so near to nature.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="3e92ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0b7fa591dkelyh.jpg"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>