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David

Bracket fungus turning brown

Bracket fungus turning brown

A bracket fungus, quite small though possibly not yet at its full size. It was growing on a tree trunk conveniently at a little below my level. That made it a little easier to get pictures both of the pores on the lower surface, and the view of the upper turning brown.

Bracket fungus turning brown
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David

Gatekeeper butterfly feeding on water mint flowers

Gatekeeper butterfly feeding on water mint flowers

I’ve seen very few gatekeeper butterflies this year, but this one landed very obligingly om some water mint flowers just yards from where I was standing, then started feeding.

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David

Bracket fungus with shed spores

Bracket fungus with shed spores

A large bracket fungus near the base of the trunk of one of the trees by the drive in Bantock Park. Below the fungus, a spider’s web has caught lots of the spores it shed.

Bracket fungus with shed spores
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David

Common darter on canal footpath

Common darter on canal footpath

Some dragonflies are much easier to photograph than the hawkers. Tis is a male common darter. They’re a species which spend more time on sunny days resting on the ground or some other convenient perch near to water. This one kept taking off, flying briefly, then landing back on the path. Every time, it was a little closer to me.

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David

Common reed flower head

Common reed flower head

The flowers turning to seed, and turning delicate colours in the process, a common reed by the edge of a canal.

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David

Migrant hawker dragonfly on the wing

Migrant hawker dragonfly on the wing

Early this month, a sunny day. Hot by mid-morning. On the canal between Wightwick Mill Lock and Compton, three different species of dragonfly.

Although I tried, I didn’t manage to get any pictures of the first species. Large and brown, they were continuously on the wing, flying both fast and erratically. They may have been brown hawkers.

The one pictured here was also continually on the wing, and is another hawker. Its flights patrolling its territory were a little more predictable. Some of my efforts to get its picture were once again featureless blurs. But sometimes I managed to get the panning right.

Very little detail could be grasped by the naked eye as it flashed past: an impression of blue. The camera has caught more. Its one of the migrant hawkers, but there’s still not enough information to decide which one.