Category: David

From the middle of August, heathy areas like this part of Cannock Chase near Brocton,  become a mass of purple as the heather comes into flower.

By early August these plums were ripe enough to show the beginnings of the bloom on their surface.

One of the historic breeds farm animals at Shugborough Park. If these are indeed Bagot goats, they are descended from the semi-wild herd of Blithfield Hall, on the opposite side of Cannock Chase, and be of a critically endangered rare breed.

The billy is relaxing above, and the kid, below, is eating with a jackdaw seeming to mimic its actions.

This clump had just a couple of flowers remaining when I saw it growing at the edge of the river Anker in Tamworth in the middle of August.

At first the kernels of the berries are green and the outer covers are a paler green, and cover less than half the kernel. To me, they look more like miniature acorns at this stage.

As the berry ripens, the kernel swells. The covering layer begins to redden and to advance down the kernel.

Riper = yet redder cover with yet more complete coverage.

Varying degrees of ripeness in berries which are almost touching. Perhaps it was the time of day I was there, but there seemed to be a direct effect that the berries in the sunniest spots had come furthest along.

These pictures all taken within a few minutes, of berries on the same yew tree in West Park.

Hat tip: Jefny.

These two manage to survive although greatly outnumbered by the Canada geese on the West Park lake.