Wolves Wild

The seeds were beginning to ripen in their seed-cases.

The dogwood was right next to the rose bush which featured in a post yesterday.

The flowers had begun to  lose their petals (actually, they are bracts). Some of the fruits were starting to develop. (Once again, that’s not strictly accurate: they are drupes, each of which has a couple of seeds).

This insect was staying feeding on the flower with its body almost hidden behind the folded wings.

Spotted resting on a leaf just a few yards from the mallow of the previous post. These were the pictures I managed to get between the gusts of breeze.

I’m not sure what species it is. It mate be a late instar nymph, i.e not an adult, but at one of the last stages before it becomes an adult.

The mallow was by the path at the back of the Smestow Valley Ranger Station (the one-time Tettenhall Railway Station).

Today’s subjects all come from the Smestow Valley LNR at the very end of last month. This rose was on a bush at the top end of Barley Field, where the footpath leads in from Compton Hill Drive.

Glistening after overnight rain.

I’m not sure whether the spider was hunting the mite.

From the same plant which features as the top picture in the previous post.

Moving in closer brought out the beauty of the individual flower. Taking the picture contre jour has thrown a silhouette of the internal parts of the flower.

A foxglove pictured early one morning, half silhouetted against the sky.

Growing wild amongst grasses in front of a bindweed-covered fence.

This one is pictured by twilight on an evening when the badgers didn’t come out to play.

Three views of the same plant. Even the flower buds are spiky on some thistles!

The season’s heavy rain meant that many of these cherries were splitting before they had ripened completely.