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David

Summer snowflake, East Castle Street, Bridgnorth

Summer snowflake, East Castle Street, Bridgnorth

The front gardens of East Castle Street in Bridgnorth are worth watching at any time of year. This is a summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum). It’s yet another introduced plant, but with an original range covering much of Eurasia it thrives in some parts of the country as a wildflower. Hence another of its names, the Loddon lily, from a tributary of the Thames.

Summer snowflake, East Castle Street, Bridgnorth
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David

Tapered drone flies sunbathing

Tapered drone flies sunbathing

Tapered drone flies ((Eristalis pertinax/em>), a common hoverfly species. Also one or the species that’s easier to photograph, when they spend time sunbathing, resting on leaves.

Tapered drone flies sunbathing
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David

All in white: blackthorn flowering

All in white: blackthorn flowering

Part of the blackthorn hedge around the Barely Field, most of the flowers out. Blackthorn flowers open before the leaves, which adds to their effect when seen from a distance. It looks like their might be a good crop of sloes this year.

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David

A robin for May Day

A robin for May Day

Yes, robins’ traditional association is with Christmas, not with springtime. But this one was singing recently in one of the bushes in the hedge around the Barley Field. And the bush, with leaves which were then just opening, was a may (more commonly called hawthorn.

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David

Mass of lesser celandines, Deansgate

Mass of lesser celandines, Deansgate

Deansgate on Tettenhall Road, previously the local base of Customs and Excise, nowadays “serviced luxury offices”. In front of the building, what I suppose is meant to be a garden, including a large patch of lesser celandines, seen here through the fence separating the property from the pavement.

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David

Grey wagtail, Prefab Weir

Grey wagtail, Prefab Weir

A grey wagtail walking along the wall of prefab weir on the canal at Compton, pausing to pick up insects along the way. It was a male. The female briefly also flew in (last picture in the set) before heading off to the opposite bank. A little while later, he also went there.