A series of views of several individuals of this cracking bolete – there are various different species, so I’m not sure precisely what kind these were.
They were growing on a high grassy bank by Wolverhampton ring road, just round the corner from some of the catkins in the previous post.
More formally known as Garrya elliptica. The first picture is of catkins on a bush in a private garden. The others are from a bush beside a gated entrance of the University on Wulfruna Street.
This view looking past the bandstand and over the barely visible boating lake towards the Conservatory was taken at the same time as yesterday’s views.
Another mushroom found growing hiding in the short grass of a roadside lawn.
Looking towards the city centre from behind the West Park chalet on the morning after the first hard frost of the winter earlier this month. These first two pictures were taken about forty minutes before dawn.
I came back about ten minutes later for these pictures.
Behind this small pond on the Dudley nature reserve is a field whose ups and downs are a surviving product of agricultural methods which were superseded several hundred years ago.
I like this metal sculpture of a pike in weeds by the Dock, a side pool part way up Stourbridge locks on the Stourbridge canal.
The sculpture is high on a pole. There is reputed to be a real and big pike lurking in the pool itself.
A little further uphill than the pike in the previous post, there is an equally attractive swan on the nest decorating the finger post.
This year’s Christmas special is one of a pair of wallabies spotted at an “animal adventure” near the start of the Stafford Road.
When photographed in mid-January, they seemed contented despite the harsh winter, if not as smug as the larger than life camel below.
Whenever I have been passing more recently, the kangaroos have continued to look contented.
Merry Christmas!
This stream through a wooded section of Sutton Park is far too straight to be convincing.
A lesser black backed gull balancing on one leg on the rail around the West Park boating lake.