Category: David

Stump by one of the paths on the Pendeford Mill Nature Reserve, carved to have a face. A bracket fungus, which probably caused the tree to need felling, breaking out in patches on the stump.

The bright red of ripening yew “berries” contrasting with the dark green of the evergreen leaves. What looks like a berry is actually a modified cone with a single seed inside, surrounded by a succulent aril to tempt birds to eat it and so deposit the seed well away from the tree. These were on one of the Wesst Park yews.

One of the Northycote Farm hens, perched on the rim of a metal bucket. The dull bronze colour of the feathers turned to a green iridescence where they caught the sun.

Leaves with striking autumn colours on the same sycamore tree in Pendeford Mill Nature Reserve.

Artist’s palettes, largish bracket fungi usually growing on dead or dying wood — these were on fallen tree trunks in Himley Plantation recently.

Probably the same heron which featured in yesterday’s post. I came back to the spot where I’d seen it just a few minutes after those pictures were taken. There wasn’t a heron by the Barnhurst Farm outlet stream any more. Instead there was one on the far bank of the canal, striding with poise at the edge of the water.