A largish mushroom whose fruiting body appears in the spring – supposedly on St George’s day (which is today), though that sounds to me like the type of conceit perpetrated by Victorian gentlemen naturalists.
This one was actually pictured two days ago growing at the edge of a garden. Several others could just about be made out a few inches away, almost hidden by the greenery.
The tree stump gives some idea of the size of the mushroom’s cap.
From a bush by one of the entrances to West Park, pictured before the bad weather at Easter.
A very ancient type of plant, non-flowering because they evolved before there were insects to help in pollination. Most (British) coal is the fossilised remains of members of this family, including species which were as big as trees.
Two coots face up to each other
More threatening postures
Starting to see off the rival
Now he’s going
Time for a satisfied preen
From a, presumably planted, patch in front of the tax office on Tettenhall Road.
The butterfly was getting itself warm for the day spreading its wings on the ground close to Compton lock.
The flower and leaves at the end of a horse chestnut twig almost completely opened up (above), and, on a different tree, just beginning to open (below).
The blackthorn bushes at the edge of Barley Field in the Smestow Valley LNR were at very different stages when this picture was taken at the end of March. The bushes at the top of the ridge, like this one, had their flowers completely out. Those lower down the slope were barely even budding.
Successive stages in the unfolding of hawthorn leaves from the bud. The pictures are of different twigs in the same hedge, and were taken within a few seconds of one another.
Large patches of last year’s growth of rosebay willowherb could still be found on rough ground locally late in March.