Wolves Wild

Wild arum leaves are often marked with such black flecks – perhaps a virus.

This reed bed and pool looked very tranquil a couple of weeks ago.

Another welcome sign of spring.

These violets and celandines grow on a sunny bank by the Staffs and Worcs canal.

When these pictures were taken in the middle of March the violets were fully in bloom, the celandines still just budding.

A hollow tree stump beside the river Penk on the edge of Brewood. The absence of heart wood will indicate the decay which led to the tree being felled.

This fleecy fungus was growing on bedding compost. I presume the black flecks are the bodies which actually produce the spores.

The slowly decaying trunk of the fallen tree which also featured in the last post. Where the bark has gone the wood is marked by many holes which look like it has been the target for darts practice. In some places there is a range of sizes of the holes (above), elsewhere they look remarkably uniform (below). Presumably they are the product of some form of wood-boring insect.

This large and now elderly bracket fungus is at the base of a tree which fell a couple of years ago in the central reservation of the ring road right by Chapel Ash roundabout. It is likely to be what killed the tree.

Apparently male and female flowers bloom on different trees. The male, which I presume are the ones shown here, are more prominent.

The new growth of a weeping willow, green in the spring. This tall specimen guards the entrance to Compton Park.