Late waterlily flower

Later waterlily flower

This waterlily on the pond at Wightwick Manor garden still had a flower on September 10th (it was Heritage Open Day, when the garden could be seen without the usual £4 entrance fee).

Later waterlily flower

Shaggy parasols in West Park

Shaggy parasols in West Park

At its largest, this mushroom can grow to about six inches tall, with a cap of about six inches in diameter. This makes it the second largest mushroom which can be commonly found around here, smaller only than the Parasol mushroom, which can get to about twice as big.

Shaggy parasols in West Park

The brown “shaggy” substance on the cap is remnants of protective coating.

Shaggy parasols in West Park

There was a troop of these fruiting bodies near to Southgate in West Park, between twenty and thirty, at a spot they regularly pop up at this time of year. When I saw them they had, so far, escaped kicking down because they were hard to see under low branches.

Shaggy parasols in West Park

Fat Cross spider

Fat Cross spider

A common garden spider. The larger female is normally the one which is easy to notice, especially when enlarged as here, presumably with eggs.

Fat Cross spider

Two years old!

Just for once, no picture with this post.

Instead, here is a link to the very first post on this blog, which was made exactly two years ago.

Since then I’ve only missed one single day. That was later in the first week. Apart from that once, there has been at least one new post every single day – recently it seems to have usually been two per day.

The current score is around eleven hundred posts, featuring well over two thousand images and a dozen or so short videos. As yet I’m not seeing any signs of running out of fresh subjects to picture.

Wasps feeding on an ivy flower

Wasps feeding on an ivy flower

A patch of ivy growing near Compton Mill lock must have been in a favourable position. It had already started flowering earlier than the rest, over a week ago, so there were wasps all over it, feeding.

Wasp feeding on an ivy flower

Ripening acorns

Ripening acorns

The recent strong winds brought down a lot of acorns and conkers before they had ripened. I had taken this picture a couple of days earlier.

Signs of Autumn – Birch bolete

Signs of Autumn - Birch bolete

From the same visit to Wightwick Manor gardens as the previous post. This mushroom is, as its name implies, associated with birch trees, as are several other fungi. Perhaps it is a harbinger of the fungi flush, the autumn period which marks peak visibility.

Signs of Autumn - Birch bolete

Signs of autumn – leaves turning

Signs of autumn - leaves turning

Last weekend was Heritage Open Day, and the chance to see the garden at Wightwick Manor without the usual entrance charge. Pictured here are some of the trees whose leaves were beginning to take on autumnal colours.

Signs of autumn - leaves turning

Signs of autumn - leaves turning

Signs of autumn - leaves turning

Himalayan balsam blossom

Himalayan balsam blossom

As the name implies, this is an introduced species. It’s very common along the local canals – these particular plants were growing at the edge of the lowest pool by Bratch locks in Wombourne.

Himalayan balsam blossom

Himalayan balsam blossom

Knight in armour

Knight in armour

An imaginative floral decoration in the Castle Grounds Park, Tamworth, placed to guard the start of the path up to the castle itself.

Knight in armour