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David

White comfrey flowers

White comfrey flowers

Patch of white-flowered comfrey growing at the back of a churchyard.

White comfrey flowers

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David

Buzzard heading out of shot

Buzzard heading out of shot

Buzzard flying over the Shropshire countryside, climbing on a thermal.

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David

Yew, cones just starting to develop

Yew, cones just starting to develop

Despite appearances, yew trees don’t produce berries. Instead, they grow cones (the trees are conifers) each of which has a single seed. As they ripen, come the autumn, each cone is almost covered by a soft fleshy structure called an aril.

Shown here are twigs of a yew which had recently finished flowering, and the cones were just starting to develop.

Yew, cones just starting to develop

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David

Chaffinch on an elder branch, singing

Chaffinch on an elder branch, singing

Male chaffinch on a branch of an elder bush, singing loudly and showing no signs of nervousness at my approach.

Chaffinch on an elder branch, singing

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David

Blackthorn flower frosting

Blackthorn flower frosting

Blackthorn bushes flower before their leaves appear. When the flowers are at their peak, a blackthorn hedge looks like someone has been applying a frosting of icing sugar with a heavy hand.

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David

Chewing the cud

Chewing the cud

Two of the herd of cows in a field crossed by a footpath, chewing contentedly as they lay in the spring sunshine.