Wolves Wild

This hoverfly was feeding in one of the open patches on the Saltwells LNR just over a month ago.

There is something soothing about large pools of still water. The more so when, like these, they are in green oases in built-up areas. Bracebridge Pool (above) is the largest stretch of water in Sutton Park, while Swan Pool (below) is the highlight of Sandwell Valley.

A view back to the summer. This purple loosestrife was flowering beside the largest pool at the Pendeford Mill LNR on its annual open day at the end of July.

This is a medieval stone cross a long way outside the village on a road which just leads past a few isolated houses before circling back to the village. Noone really knows why it’s there. It looks more like a Cornish roadside cross than anything else.

These blackberries were showing the colours of every stage in the ripening process: from greens, through reds to the rich blue-black.

This plant was growing by a roadside near Lower Penn.

These haws looked like they were already completely ripe – pictured a week ago.

This spider’s web was very obvious when the sun caught it against a shadowed background.

This one was less noticeable. It stretched across a rabbit hole, presumably currently unoccupied. It was in a deep shadow, but made more visible because it had caught some sand which had fallen on it.

This clump of ragwort was proving very attractive to insects early in August. A cinnabar moth caterpillar is near to the ragged white butterfly (above) while the hoverfly (below) came along a minute or so later.

Looking down Darlington Street from Queens Square towards Chapel Ash, it almost looks like the former church is rising through a wood.

Keeping this illusion with a closer view meant a very careful choice of where to frame the picture.

There are two young coots here, swimming and eating a few yards from each other.

They are the same birds feature in the post of August 19th
when they must have been very recently hatched.

This family of swans include a second adult which wouldn’t line up to get in the same shot of the others, as well as the three well-grown young seen below. They have a large territory heading out towards the junction with the Bradley arm of the canal.