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David

Thistle in winter

Frosty thistle

The remains of a robust thistle on the morning after the first heavy frost in mid-January.

Frosted thistle seed head

Frosted thistle seed head

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David

Rosebay willowherb in winter

Wintry rosebay willowherb

Rosebay willowherb with its extremities coated in frost.

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David

Berlin interlude – reed by a pool

Reed by a pool

A tranquil scene, but the biggest open-air party in Europe would take place a few hundred yards from this spot later that night.

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David

Berlin interlude – oyster fungus

Oyster fungus

The wild cousin of the one whose natural habitat is on the shelves of the more upmarket supermarkets.

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David

Berlin interlude – fungi on tree stumps

Fungus on a tree stump

These fungi were all growing on tree stumps, at knee level and so convenient for viewing.

Fungus on a tree stump

Fungus on a tree stump

Fungus on a tree stump

Fungus on a tree stump

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David

Berlin interlude – the Zoo

Trying to improve my video skills by practicing on zoo animals.

Featuring polar bears, hippos, including the zoo’s most latest star, a recently-born hippo, pelicans and kangaroos.

Our closest relatives among the great apes also put in an appearance, behind glass sadly: gorillas, chimps and the zoo’s fascinating bonobo family.

The herons which appear are free loaders. There is at least one heronry in the trees growing in the zoo, and probably several in the nearby Tiergarten. The herons descend on the zoo to try to grab the fish which the keepers are distributing as food for the pelicans and other zoo birds.