Common carder bee, bean flowers

Common carder bee, been flowers

These bean flowers are being ignored by the honey been, but these bumble bees seem to be regular visitors. They are common carder bees, according to inaturalists

Ramsoms, still flowering

Ramsoms, still flowering

Ramsoms (wild garlic) still flowering a few days ago, Smestow Valley LNR, by the Railway Walk and the recently opened up woodland near the old nursery.

Textures – slag wall close-ups

Slag, close-up

When iron smelting was an important Black Country industry, huge amounts of slag were produced as a waste product.

Some was recycled, used for building walls. Many of these walls have been demolished in later redevelopments, but some can still be found. These close-ups are from the lumps on slag in just one wall, showing the textures created by cleavages, the sites of bubbles, etc.