Category: David

Despite being spotted on an ivy leaf, this may be a hawthorn shield bug.

One of the last plants of the year to flower, and a magnet for insects on warm autumn days: an ivy beginning to flower (above) and just about to do so (below).

These views were taken about a week later than the previously posted pictures of some of the West Park Japanese acers. In that short time, the leaf colours had developed rapidly.

As a follow-up to the pictures of the chicken of the woods fungus growing by Wolverhampton ring road
posted earlier this month, here is another on a tree at the side of the Birmingham New Road, just by the junction with the Black Country Route.

On warm autumn days, ivy flowers attract many insects to feed on them, including these wasps.

A fly feeding on the same ivy bush as several wasps (next post, above).

Views of St Peter’s church just before dawn recently. The first and third pictures were taken from West Park, looking (roughly) east and towards the direction where the sun would shortly rise.

This view from Lichfield Street was taken as close as I could get to the same interval before sunrise a couple of days later. The effect of looking into the cold northerly light was exaggerated because there was no cloud to catch the red glow of the still-concealed sun this time.

Two of the ladybirds which seemed to find an ivy bush a good place to rest and get warm in the morning sun last week.

Native to north America, the evening primrose has now had almost four centuries spreading in Britain.

During the recent spell of hot weather, this snail was resting for the day on an ivy leaf.