Wolves Wild

Young jackdaw surveying a pub’s outdoor area on a warm lunchtime, hoping to scrounge scraps of food left by the diners.

Young foal and its mother, and two slightly older foals which appeared to be twins.

Zooming in on some of the waterlilies in flower on the Fowler’s Park anglerspond, with wider views showing the pond’s rural appearance right in Wolverhampton city centre.

Compare views of the plants while they were just beginning to open, and of yellow water lily flowers.

Female mallard and her ducklings on the pool at Fowler’s Park.

Poppies growing on the edge of a barley field.

Clump of hazelnuts, just starting to form and ripen on a bush.

View from the top of Bushbury Hill, with the long ridge of the Wrekin in the distance.

Lupin seed pods, looking a bit like furry pea pods (the plants are related). The same plants shown here were in full flower previously.

At this time of year some leaves of dock plants turn a more or less bright red, often also curling up. If I remember right, this is due to a viral infection.

Once the female mallard has laid her eggs, the male heads off, sometimes with other males, to a safe spot to moult to loose his conspicuous breeding plumage.

This process, called going into eclipse, had just begun with the birds here.

The delicate blue of a speedwell flowering in the hedgerow by the canal at Aldersley.

Damselflies mating: common blues and blue-tailed.

Claspers at the end of the male hold the female just behind the head.

The pair may rest on a convenient leaf – sometimes ignoring another male which is buzzing them. When resting they can assume all sorts of contorted postures. At other times, the pair may take off and fly while remaining united.