David

These acorns were beginning to develop on one of the exotic oak trees in Bantock Park recently.

This bumble bee seemed to be systematically visiting every flower on a St John’s wort in mid-July.

It was only seven o’clock in the morning, but its pollen baskets already looked full.

This magpie was so busy looking for something in the lawn that it was ignoring the busy Tettenhall Road.

A bunch of delicate white flowers growing at about knee height.

Shiny eyes and carapace, wings which are veined, glittering and transparent, and hairy at the extremes. Just a fly, but what a range of textures.

A thistle in Barley Field, Smestow Valley LNR, with the top flower fully open, and the others just about to open too.

The summer has been so wet that it would be hard to get many pictures without going out on rainy days. At least that makes it easier to find spider’s webs showing up because of the water drops hanging from them. The web was in Barley Field recently.

This used to be the main path across the Barley Field in Smestow Valley Nature Reserve. Compton Park (behind the hedge) started to be redeveloped in the spring. Now the grass is taking over the path.

The red-cracking bolete was growing on a lawn I pass when I am walking into the city centre.

Angelica is most often seen as green strips used to decorate cakes. This is made by candying slices of the stem. It would seem that the seeds, seen ripening here, can also be eaten – for example in pastry.