Author: David

The soft, fluffy-looking catkins beginning to come out in mid-February.

Lichen growing on the quarry face of the former sandstone quarry behind Wightwick Mill lock.

A view further along the bough brought down by a gale already featured in the post yesterday.

Another in the series of lichen on tombstones; these from Beckbury churchyard.

The gales in February brought down a lot of branches. This is the bough of some kind of exotic cedar, which had landed resting on a wall, conveniently at eye level.

This former sandstone quarry is behind Wightwick Mill lock on the Staffs & Worcs canal, in the Smestow Valley Nature Reserve.

Badgers come out at night (dusk in mid-summer) so specialist equipment is needed to photograph them. Some of the traces they leave can be seen more easily.

These pictures were taken in a quiet country lane with high sandy banks near Trysull. Sandy banks are badgerspreferred location for their setts.

The wide path of compressed sand is the badger pathway to the field on the opposite side of the road.

This second slip of sand is looser, and stops half way down the bank. It is the detritus produced when the badgers dig out one of the entrances of their sett.

A badger set has multiple entrances. Scrambling up the bank brought these two into view. Both are protected and partly hidden by a holly bush.

Lichen, and moss, growing on the remains of a preaching cross (above) and gravestones in Badger churchyard.

A vivid dawn in early February.

Lichens in Pattingham churchyard.

These gravestones were pictured on the same day as those in Enville churchyard, posted on Wednesday.

Highgate Common looking stark a month ago.