Autumn Fruit

Whilst out looking for mines, galls and anything else that takes my fancy, I've pointed the phone camera at some fruit. Here's a selection, a marker of the season. I particularly like the pair of Pear bollocks.

** Stop Press ** I'd rashly assumed these crinkly-stemmed phallic shrooms were Shaggy Parasol. They ain't - this is Macrolepiota procera which fits the open grassy area much better.

As everyone knows, fruit is a fine accompaniment to some decent cheese.

A Bit Weedy

Today we started what should have been a week off work visiting family in Devon or maybe getting away to the coast. We are still not working this week, but decided that perhaps it was a good time to redecorate the open plan living/dining room. We've started. I remain to be convinced it's a good plan. This evening I have that achyness and sore fingers representative of sanding all the skirting, windowsill and door frames ....

No moth trapping as last night was very very windy - never a good combination for my garden. I did point the camera at a few more weeds today though ....

Common Dog Violet

Herb Robert

Stinging Nettle

Bramble agg.

Wavy Bitter-cress - I'm pretty sure

And I reckon this is a self-set Silver Birch

One For Sorrow

One bird that I've generally failed to get a good shot of is Magpie. They are a common enough bird, and whilst they can have a fairly ordinary pied appearance in some lights, in good light they come alive with superbly irridescent blues and greens. They are canny birds though, and seem to have a sense for movement of the shutter finger and get out of the way. Unless of course you have a lens the size of a small car, when you can happily photograph them from a mile away. Which I haven't.

Today I nipped into Watermead Park whilst out and about hunter-gathering for a family meal. The water levels were predictably high, almost to the point where the two lakes were conjoined. Large areas of grassy paddock and fields were under water as well. There wasn't much loitering around the car park area, but this Magpie was. Despite having a slightly dodgy right wing it was perfectly able to fly, but I did manage to get a few nice shots for a change.

The 'feeding area' where you can normally get close to gulls perched on the metal bars was under water, though today there were no gulls loitering around there anyway - all seemed to be out feeding on the easy-pickings of a flooded paddock.

Would have been a shame to come away with no other shots though in such good lighting, so I pointed the camera at these .....

Nymphomania in the Stonecrop

Had a nice long walk down the lane today; not long as in distant, but long as in taking my time and pointing the camera at various bits. Lots of shieldbug nymphs, even more soldier beetles mating everywhere, and I also remembered to go and check the flowering stonecrop and found that there were indeed two species .......

Pied Shieldbug nymph

Green Shieldbug nymph

Common Red Soldier Beetle

Biting Stonecrop

White Stonecrop

Bramble