David

Found decorating wild rose bushes in the autumn, robin’s pincushions are galls created by a robin’s pincusion gall wasp laying an egg in the twig of the bush. I assume the red of the gall is the same pigment as in the skin of the ripe rose hips, visible out of focus in these pictures.

Delicate-looking mushrooms found in short grass, sometimes called Japanese umbrellas.

Large swan family on the river Avon just upstream from Stratford. As soon as they saw us, they headed straight for us, hopeful of getting food.

Autumn’s the time for fungi. These earthballs from Bantock Park and Hawthorn Wood.

Shaggy parasols. One of the largest of the local mushrooms, they can grow up to eight inches or so tall. These were coming through the undergrowth in Hawthorn Wood.

For me, green shield bugs have been the insect of the year of the pandemic. Saw the first ones (busy making more green shield bugs) back in march when the first wave was coming to a crescendo. These from tow separate sightings late September.