David

A red admiral rests on the dried-out stem of an old umbellifer, warming itself in the late-October sun. As it warmed its wings, it showed first their upper- then their undersurface.

A red cracking bolete growing on a grassy bank between the Civic Centre and the ring road. The splitting cap shows the reddening which gives it its name.

Side view showing the pores, rather than gills, where the spores come out.

A couple of days later, and a view from above showing how much of the mushroom had since been eaten.

Black-headed gull standing in shallow water in the Severn, at the tip of a small island near the (old) bridge over the river.

All the water birds gather on or by the island. It’s far enough from the river bank for them to feel safe, but near enough for them to get the bread which is thrown to them.

I don’t remember ever previously noticing rosebay willowherb leaves which turned to these colours in the autumn before the plant shed them.

These were vivid reds and yellows. They were on plants growing by the canal towpath, yards from Castlecroft (farm) bridge.

This patch is much more like any willowherb I’ve noticed in previous years.

Growing only a couple of paces from the other inkcap species which was featured yesterday were a pair of tiny glistening inkcaps.

Shaggy parasols are one of the larger mushrooms, and are fairly common.

This was one of several clumps growing in Hawthorn Wood recently.

They were growing just above a bank, so it was easy to picture them from the side as well as from above.