Two dark-plumaged muscovy ducks seen recently by the side of the lake in West Park. They were in the company of the long time resident female, the survivor of what was once a pair.
Patches of white fungus, Newbridge
Patches of white fungus on fallen wood near the former Tettenhall Station (now Cupcake Junction tea rooms) on the Railway Walk at Newbridge.
Collared earth stars near the Royal tram stop
Collared earth star fungi growing by the roadside near the Royal tram stop on the Bilston Road. Possilby brought in on the mulch spread under the bushes.
Tufted ducks showing tufts
Tufted duck drakes on the West Park boating lake, showing the tufts on their heads which give them their name.
Snowdrops about to open, Bantock Park
The first snowdrops I managed to spot this year, the flower buds about to open. These were in Bantock Park last week.
Ear fungus, on elder, by Railway Walk
Ear fungus is quite common, and the fruiting bodies grow all year round. But they are easier to spot in the winter when the trees are bare. Found on both dead and living wood, on various species of tree, but especially on elder. These and many more fruiting bodies were indeed growing on an elder on the edge of the Smestow Valley Nature Reserve’s Railway Walk.