Wolves Wild

Yet more of the non-insect livestock at the Stratford on Avon Tropical Butterfly Farm: Chinese quail spent their time skulking in the vegetation and emerging briefly to get some of the grain which had been left out for them.

Common autumn fungi with a season which seems to be extending into a mild winter fungi: tawny funnel caps, a woodland species.

Wagtail hunting for insects on a pavement, ignoring the roadside instruction to look left.

Tansy flowering, bringing a touch of bright yellow to a meadow late in December.

Heron high in a tree a short distance from Wightwick lock, looking like it was dozing heron. Aware of what was going on, watchful of people and dogs passing on the opposite side of the canal, but very reluctant to move.

Stratford on Avon Tropical Butterfly Farm: one of the butterflies persistently chasing another. Perhaps they are very distinct female and male forms of the same species, with some energetic courtship happening. Or it could be an insect trying to defend its territory against incursions from a member of another species, with more vigour than success.

One of my favourite fungi: the distinctive fruiting bodies of collared earth stars growing under the towpath hedge, by the canal opposite the social club at Castlecroft.

More of the non-insect livestock at the Stratford on Avon Tropical Butterfly Farm: one of the parakeets.

Young heron, once again at its favoured spot just downstream of the chain ferry on the Avon at Stratford. Here standing on an ovverhanging tree stump, watching the river as mallards swim by.

Yellow yarrow flowers still going strong in late December. This unusual colour is probably an escaped garden variety.

The livestock isn’t just insects at the Stratford on Avon Tropical Butterfly Farm. This watchful iguana is one of a pair which sometimes show themselves.

Blewits, mushrooms which can still be spotted growing into the winter, and a favourite with wild food enthusiasts. When young, they have a faint colour which some guidebooks decribe as blueish – it looks more lilac to me. These may have been wood blewits, as they were on woodland floor.