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Umbellifer with drying seeds

Umbellifer with drying seeds

Nature occasionally presents photographic subjects in shades of one colour without the need for manipulation. The ripening seeds of this umbellifer were one.

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David

Sandy stiltballs, 2013

Sandy stiltball

Sandy stiltball, a strange and uncommon fungus which comes up at this time every year by a narrow lane in Shropshire.

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David

Heron, Island Pool

Heron, Island Pool

Heron hunting at the edge of Island Pool in Baggeridge Park. The structure just visible at the left of the picture is one of the jetties used by anglers.

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David

Bullrushes, beginning to flower

Bullrush, beginning to flower

Bullrushes beginning to flower at the end of last month. These were more of the vegetation by the edge of the new pool in the Smestow Valley.

Bullrush, beginning to flower

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David

Knopper galls and acorns

Knopper galls and acorns

Galls are growths on plants, often trees, created when some species of wasps lay their eggs there. Oak trees suffer from several types. Knopper galls affect acorns.

Knopper gall and acorn

Knopper galls were first recorded in Britain in the 1960s, but have now spread across the mainland.

Knopper gall, Barley Field

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David

Butterflies feeding on thistle

Meadow brown butterfly on thistle

On one sunny day last month, a thistle patch on Barley Field was attracting a variety of butterflies. A meadow brown.

Tortoiseshell butterfly on thistle

A tortoiseshell

Peacock butterfly on thistle

Peacock

Tortoiseshell butterfly on thistle

Tortoiseshell showing its underwings

Gatekeeper butterfly on thistle

Gatekeeper

Tortoiseshell butterfly on thistle

Another tortoiseshell

Small white butterfly on thistle

A small white

Meadow brown butterfly on thistle

Sideways view of the meadow brown

Small white butterfly on thistle

An older small white.