Colours of autumn: robin’s pincushion red

Colours of autumn: robin's pincushion

Found decorating wild rose bushes in the autumn, robin’s pincushions are galls created by a robin’s pincusion gall wasp laying an egg in the twig of the bush. I assume the red of the gall is the same pigment as in the skin of the ripe rose hips, visible out of focus in these pictures.

Colours of autumn: robin's pincushion

Hopeful swan family, River Avon

Hopeful swan family, River Avon

Large swan family on the river Avon just upstream from Stratford. As soon as they saw us, they headed straight for us, hopeful of getting food.

Shaggy parasols, undergrowth, Hawthorn Wood

Shaggy parasols, undergrowth, Hawthorn Wood

Shaggy parasols. One of the largest of the local mushrooms, they can grow up to eight inches or so tall. These were coming through the undergrowth in Hawthorn Wood.