Back again for (at least) the sixth consecutive year, a turtle which was probably originally abandoned in the lake at West Park.
In the spring, it regularly spends its time on sunny days basking on a fallen log by one of the islands. Some years, it stays there until well in the summer. Others, it disappears, probably having found a less disturbed spot to hang out. Over the winter, it hibernates in the deep mud at the bottom of the lake.
Small delicate-looking flowers on a tree in Bantock Park. The tree seemed to be some kind of exotic species. Perhaps it will be easier to identify once the leaves appear.
A week later, the flowers had all fallen, possibly brought down prematurely when the weather turned cold again.
A comma butterfly, the only butterfly we’ve seen so far this year. It landed in the short grass right by the canal at Newbridge, and looked like it was getting ready to settle to warm up in the sun.
A dog walker came along the path. Neither man nor dog seemed aware of the butterfly, but it decided to move to a safer spot.
A front garden, completely covered in tarmac. There’s some patches of moss, but that can establish itself on just about any soil-free rock like surface. Every spring, there’s also several coltsfoot. They have roots in the soil underneath the tarmac, and have at some point forced their way through to the open air.
Two pairs of tufted ducks were swimming together on West Park lake. Every time I tried to take a picture, one or other of the pairs dived, leaving a ring-shaped wave where they had been. In several shots, the nearest I managed to the complete group was three birds, and the ripple where the fourth had submerged.
I gave up, and went for pictures of the individual birds instead. This time there were no problems of them disappearing underwater.
Lesser celandines are now well into their flowering season. But even on the warmer sunnier days, there’s only been a few signs of bees visiting them.