One of a group of earth stars which was growing in the civic flower bed by the first Metro station heading out from Wolverhampton city centre: The Royal.
The fungi were easy to miss – not very conspicuous under the vegetation.
Wightwick Mill Lock, mist
Views from both directions of Wightwick Mill Lock on the Staffs & Worcs Canal.
The lock and its surroundings were softened by the mist on Boxing Day morning.
Large earthstars, Castlecroft
A large earthstar,probably the collared earthstar, Geastrum triplex, the most accessible of a group growing under the hedgerow by the towpath heading into the countryside near Castlecroft.
This picture is of the same individual, five days later and from a different angle. A “collar” is beginning to develop.
Red, purple, greens
The leaves and stems of an exotic shrub, lit by the (for once) bright morning sun, contrasting with the colours in the foliage of the evergreens in the background.
Hunched against the cold
Wood pigeon hunching its shoulders and fluffing up its feathers to keep out the wintry cold.
Misty morning: Wetland Lake and Tettenhall Ridge
Boxing Day, bright sunlight softened by mist which hung around for most of the morning.
My first picture that morning was this view looking across the pool to the ghostly trees bordering the Smestow Valley Railway Walk and the spectral trees of Tettenhall Ridge.
Landscape with grazing horses
View looking across a field immediately outside Wolverhampton’s built-up area.
Crowned earth star, Compton
Another of the earth star fungi, unusual both in appearance and frequency, seen on a short walk along a towpath just before Christmas. A small group of these were growing near Compton.
Despite its very striking appearance, this rare species doesn’t seem to have an English name. Crowned earth star fits its appearance as the apparent inspiration for elaborate royal headgear, and is my guess at the meaning of its Linnaean name, Geastrum coronatum, and also its name in French, Géastre couronné.
Earthworm stretching
Earthworm stretching and contracting its body to get away from a footpath and to a place of safety as quickly as possible.
Carrion crow on a twig
Carrion crow resting on a twig, watching me suspiciously even though we were separated by the width of the canal at Wightwick.