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David

Birch catkins

Birch catkins

Catkins at the end of a twig on a silver birch.

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David

Male and female pussy willow catkins

Male pussy willow catkin with pollen

Male and female catkins grow on different trees. The male ones start off looking furry, and give the species its name, before producing the pollen and turning as in the upper picture.

Female pussy willow catkin

The catkins on the female trees will eventually become the seeds.

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David

Water birds

Coot

Not local, but on the river Avon at Stratford.

Birds in a river

Young swan

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David

Unidentified fungus on a tree stump

Unidentified fungus

From a distance it looked like a couple of miniature boulders; closer, the fungus seemed rather dried up as it grew on the cut surface of the stump of a large tree by one of the footpaths on the Perton estate.

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David

Comma butterfly on nettles

Comma butterfly on nettle

A lot of butterflies were around during the warm spell at the end of March. This comma spent some time warming itself resting in the middle of a small bed of nettles.

Comma butterfly on nettle

Comma butterfly on nettle

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David

Blackbird hiding behind dried reeds

Blackbird hiding

It’s just about visible in the centre of the picture!