A few weeks ago, various pundits were claiming that this year’s weather would lead to spectacular autumn colours. I’ve not seen many signs of that yet, but I did like the delicate shades of these leaves.
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Squirrel burying acorns
One of the West Park squirrels burying part of its winter hoard right up by the brick and stonework forming the edge of the lake.
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Slo-mo video of wasp eating
Something else I tried out for the first time: the high speed movie mode on my camera. This is of a wasp eating on an ivy flower.
Hopefully the picture quality will improve with practice. But even on a first try I was stunned watching the segments of the insect’s abdomen moving in relation to one another, and the way the antennae waved around.
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Crab apples ripening
These crab apples were growing on an isolated tree in a field by the Staffs & Worcs canal, which is now part of the Smestow Valley LNR. Back in the days when the narrow boats ran on horse power, the field provided rough grazing for refuelling the beasts overnight.
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Bratch water pumping station
Some signs of autumn colour change in the leaves of the trees surrounding the exuberant Victorian architecture of the water pumping station beside Bratch locks.
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Umbellifer flowers and seeds
Flowers and ripening seeds pictured on the same small umbellifer a few days ago.
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Woody nightshade berries
With a thread of spider’s web catching the sunlight.
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A robin revealed
My first try at an animated video. The robin (and the original of the picture) shown here was featured in a post
last February.
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Fly eating nectar
This fly was eating from flowers on the same ivy as Wednesday’s hoverfly. Video
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A muted colour scheme
Pale green needles and light brown cones.
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Mushrooms from above
Small mushrooms growing through regularly-mown vegetation.
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Hoverfly on ivy
On warm days at this time of year, lots of insects go wild for the nectar of ivy flowers. This hoverfly was one such. Video