David

Cross spiders are a common species in gardens. There are lots of them about at this time of year.

This one was easy to spot because the sun was catching its web, which still held some drops of water after overnight rain.

The rather odd appearance is of a young blackbird  just about to get its adult plumage (about six weeks ago).

Crab apples from a tree on the fringe of Barley Field, with just a hint of reddening in their mainly yellow skins.

This year has been a very poor one for many fruits and berries.

A few days ago, I went to the edge of the Barley Field in the Smestow Valley Nature Reserve. There’s a patch of blackthorn bushes there.

At this time of year they are usually covered in ripening sloes. This was the only one I could spot.

A pine cone and a sycamore leaf which had taken on autumn colours had fallen close together onto grass.

Unripe (yellowish) and riper berries on a St John’s wort bush glisten after yet another bout of rain.