Ever changing woodland

At last a few rainy days! 

My camera is not waterproof so this means that after work I won't be able to go out and 'play'. It is time to catch up with a huge backlog of photos and handwritten notes that are spread all over the room, memorising recent discoveries / events.

Sleepy 'Wood Sorrel' after a nights rain

This set of photographs was taken on an overcast weekend day. I like to add that I do not call myself a photographer. I am probably more like a 'reporter' of nature. My photography is merely an attempt to share with you readers the beauty and wonders all around us. You don't have to travel far, you just have to be aware / present.

But back to the photographs: landscape photographs are taken with my mobile phone, hence the poor quality. Macro photographs are taken with the camera - and not all are perfectly sharp.

On this particular  they sky was overcast and it was quite breezy. Going into the open fields wasn't going to be much good; although the light would be better yet the wind would be making it very difficult for  to get the right focus through the lens while insects on resting on grasses are swaying in the breeze. I decided to return to a favourite piece of woodland only 5 minutes from home.

The woodland isn't very big but it is surprisingly changeable with many 'micro climates'. Add to that plants keen to burst back into life and one is greeted by a different scene each time one enters said woodland. 

I wasn't expecting to take many decent photographs due to quite poor light conditions. 

However, by the time I have reached the woodland, the odd sunbeam burnt its way through the clouds and was spotlighting some of the big stones covered in velvety, spongy moss.

Big stones covered in moss are strewn all over the ground, turning it into a magical place.
My mobile phone camera however isn't doing it any justice so you'll have to add the magic with your imagination.

I can easily spend ages just sitting next to these stones; the longer I look at them the more I discover. Tiny insects, strangely shaped moss and lichen; the delicate nature of these plants highlighted when the sunbeam shines through the tiny leaves.

As mentioned in a previous post, various streams are gurgling their way through the woodland, like veins, supplying the plants with life juice.

Stones in and next to these streams are especially interesting as they are covered with various types of moss, such as this most delicate variant shown below. If hit by sunlight, it's almost impossible to see the foliage; it seems to be made up of a watery glass type substance ...

The above may be called 'Syd's Tread' but I am yet to find out if that is correct.
If hit by sunlight, it's leaves almost dissapear and it is tricky to focus on it through the lense as all turns into a glassy, watery, shimmery mass of green.

The rather low temperature (around 10 degrees C) appear to be a good reason for the majority of insects to stay 'indoors' - apart from the ever present flies and spiders not much was life was to be seen. A few reluctant wood ants (you will see plenty of photographs of ants in other reports) where out but moving as though in slow motion due to the chill.

As I made may way through the woodland another sunbeam made its way through and I noticed dozens of tiny flying 'things' in the air, only visible because of their golden metallic bodies reflecting the sunlight. I realised that as I walked I seem to scare them off. As I stood still for a while it became apparent that these tiny 'things' were in fact small moths - Dyseriocrania subpurpurella moths - and dozens where gathering on Holly bush and Rhododendron leaves. It was their mating season!

Dyseriocrania subpurpurella - a mating pair.

Very shy beings, it took me a long time of just sitting still until they deemed me part of the environment. Once I was 'ignored' I had the luck of slowly closing in on some of these beautiful beings. Just look at their little 'heads' and their funky hairstyle. Such charming little creatures. 

Dyseriocrania subpurpurella - This one was playing coy ... its safer behind that spike!
(Holly Bush leaf)

There were a few of these moths that seemed a little more inquisitive and faced up to the lens rather than away from as many insects then to do. Just look at those big, googly eyes and the fuzzy hair style! Cuteness overload. And all that beauty on a being about the size of two pin heads ...

Dyseriocrania subpurpurella - this little one was more inquisitive ... 

Dyseriocrania subpurpurella

I took a route through the woodland that I hadn't walked on before and around every corner there was something new to discover. At some point I felt as though I was in a set of 'Lord of The Rings' ... entrance to 'Mordor' ....

I was walking through the woodland, listening to the ever present birdsong and the rustling of the dry, decaying leaves under my feet when suddenly something caught my eye just before putting my foot down: a beautifully detailed decaying leaf - it was placed so perfectly; nature's art installation.

Nature's art installation - beautiful leaf skeleton

Nature never stops astounding me ... and there is a myriad of things and if you ever lack inspiration, just take yourself outside, pick a quiet spot and just sit there, thinking of nothing but just taking in information with your senses. Time no longer exists ... bliss!

The texture on this 'dead' piece of wood is very 'alien' like - it is almost as though it is manufactured and a device capable of something unbeknown to simple humans.  I am not entirely sure what caused those textures - I hope you see them detailed enough if you zoom in.

Nature's harp stings.
Spider silk strands, securing a large spider's web.

Writing blog entries always takes much longer than anticipated ... and this one too I have to cut short as other matters require my attention now. 

But stay tuned ... more to come soon as the rainy weather continues!

Thank you for reading and I hope you will go on your own adventures. Feel free to add a comment. :)

Should I go or should I stay ...

Orange Tip on Greater Stitchwort

After the recent so wonderfully warm weekend, the temperatures have plummeted again and are hovering around 10 degrees daytime. There had been the odd bit of sunshine although mostly accompanied by a breeze making conditions a little tricky for insect photography (too dark and too much movement).

With the easter weekend being upon us, I was anticipating all the walk paths to be busy with walkers. I prefer to do my photography in private; I like to pick as spot and just sit ... quietly, no thought. It always takes a little while for the mind to go silent. When it does go silent, all the sounds, the scents and any  movement is registered by the bodily sensors. It also seems that the insects at that stage don't mind me at all being there. 

Yesterday started with a beautiful sunny early morning which I used to go and take my trusty steed for a walk. I then had to attend some other errands and by the time I was 'free' to go explore with my camera, the sky had mostly clouded over and the wind had picked up.

I was dithering whether to write (here and on another blog I run) or to go outside. I judged the weather circumstances as not very promising for a good shot as I most likely would have to work with ISO 400 which will create too much 'noise (grain)'. So, I did the very British thing: I had a cup of tea before making a decision!

Alas as I sat at the kitchen table (the kitchen is more or less also my office) and stared at the laptop's screen to view the blog I didn't 'feel' at all like writing. It was clear that I was not supposed to be indoors but outdoors. Well, I wasn't going to argue so I grabbed my camera and a few carrots (I like to nibble carrots - or seeds - throughout the day) and off I went. 

With it being quite breezy the nearby woodland seemed the best bet. 'I wonder if the blue bells have shown their blue/purple heads  yet?' I thought to myself.  

The path that eventually leads into the woodland lead first down a bank and over an old stone bridge. Especially in morning or evening light, the stream with its mossy stones looks magical. One can easily imagine fairies hopping from stone to stone or hovering in mid air, their dainty wings glistening in the sunlight and all accompanied by the warm and mystical sounds of a harp.

View from the bridge ... 

.,,, and the other side

For landscape photographs I use my mobile phone camera as I don't have two cameras to take with me and swapping lenses constantly just invites dust entering the camera. Hence the quite reduced quality of the photographs showing the forest. 

Regardless of the quality, they photographs hopefully still give you an idea of its beauty. The woodland is barely maintained and therefore wild and natural, covered in mosses and lichen and home to all kind of wildflowers. The wood anemones (see by earlier blog entries when I visited this same woodland) have now welted away, all that is left is their stems with the little heads hanging with browned and crinkled petals.

It hasn't been very warm and the blue bells are only reluctantly making an appearance. Their little bell shaped heads look a little deformed, I wonder if that improves as the days go on and they come into full 'swing'. 

The first blue bells making an appearance

Such is nature, one things dies to make room for another ... and as the wood anemones are returning to earth, another even more delicate wildflower shows:  the Wood Sorrel with its bright green trefoil leaves that close at night and open in the sunshine.

As it was so chilly, many of the leaves stayed closed even at lunch time. I was surprised to see that the 'Lesser Celandine' too had in many places not opened their little heads even though we had progressed through half of the day.

Little patches of wood sorrel

Not only is it chilly, it also had been raining during the night. Wood sorrel - oxalis acetosella

On my route deeper into the woodland I see many patches of blue bells 'to be'. A few days of warm(er) sunshine would help these little beauties along nicely. 

Meanwhile I am trying to remember the path to my 'secret' spot. It is off the path, or more it is a path but not created by human feet but seemingly the route of some larger wild animal. The path leads up to a stunning hidden 'world', the centre of which is a small stream that origins from the grazing fields higher up, it just suddenly appears.

More patches of blue bells.

 Each time it takes me a while to remember where it is ... but eventually I find it again. It's my favourite place in that woodland and its very hidden from anyone.

A happily bubbling brook offers life to many living beings; plants, mosses, insects and mammals. Just like the blood in our veins, these little streams support the woodland's life. At last the sun breaks through the clouds and it's beams spot highlight the grounds. Time has no meaning here; it is one of the spots where I just sit and be.

The only sounds are the buzzing and humming of insects as they come and go. Accompanied by the shrieking and creaking of the tree branches as the wind passes through while in the background the constant bubbling and gurgling of the brook almost puts one to sleep.

Happily babbling brook, a vein full of life

The stones in and along the stream are covered with 'Euphorbia'.

The 'Euphorbia' pollen appears to be especially delicious and is in high demand among the wood ants ...

... most of which show no interest in the lens being close up.

Every now and then a wood ant comes to examine me and the camera.

The wet and quite dark environment encourages all kinds of mosses and lichen to grown on stones.

Having spent some time just quietly sitting with the ants I decided to venture further up the narrow and now hardly visible path. I just have no words really to describe my amazement each time I spend time outdoors. So many wondrous and wonderful discoveries, big or small.

Left to its own devices ... looking magical and a place without time.

As always; nature will find a way, it just is and does, no matter what it takes.

I don't know how many hours I spent in this woodland (again) but by the position of the sun I feel as it is time to go and visit my trusty speed once again.

On they way back to base I did spend a little more time to watch the ants climb up and down the trees in the busy and purposeful manner. By now the temperatues have risen a little and the little fellows are moving at greater speed - they move very slowly when it is cold - and there wasn't much point in trying to capture them on camera due to light conditions (lack of sunlight). However, I was leaning against a tree while observing the ants when I saw this fly posing ... I thought the set up would probably look quite good on camera ... and it turned out to show the fly from its 'best' side. ;)

 And with this I shall leave you, dear reader, until next time.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. Comments are of course welcome.

Welcome Spring!

Spring is in full swing and the landscape changes quickly; the fields change from muted green and brown into juicy green pastures. The grass blades glistening in the sunshine, with cheery yellow spots where Dandelions are eagerly greeting the warm sunshine, opening their fleshy heads wide to invite all the buzzes and crawls.

Although most pleasantly warm, there is a breeze in the air which makes it tricky to photograph out in the open and I will have more shelter in the nearby woodland. It covers only a small area but I can spend hours in there as it has so many different micro-climates. The only visibly maintained parts are some of the foodpaths. The trees, shrubs and bushes are left to do as they please. A fair amount of trees have fallen in the storms. While upright, home to birds, now on the ground they will be home to many insects and spiders. Nothing is wasted.

(Photos of the landscape are taken with mobile phone and therefore of lesser quality)

Right at the entrance of the woodland are several burred trees. This 'lumps' are caused by grain growing in a deformed manner and it is apparently caused by the tree experimenting some form of stress, either environmental or through human influence. From a woodworking point of view though, bur wood is highly appreciated for its beauty. 

As one wanders deeper into the woodland, the grounds is covered with the first spring wildflowers. The yellow patches make a joyous contrast with the green background. 

(lesser) Celandine

 The footpath winds its way through the woodland, sometimes splitting into two or three and being interrupted by little streams that make their way downhill. The further one ventures into the woodland, the more overgrown the paths are which of course means there are less walkers and more peace for the wildlife.

New 'worlds' await around each corner and the air is filled with the sweet scent of wood anemones and the burbling sound from the stream. The stream is 'decorated' with stones and rocks of all sizes, many of which are covered in mosses and other forms of vegetation. Large fallen branches and sometimes entire trees make for a perfect bridge for wildlife to cross the stream.

One of my favourite spots is an section of the stream that is filled with stones and 'dead' branches. The stones are overgrown with 'Euphorbia' and the wood ants are very keen on these plants. They use debris in the water to cross the stream to move from stone to stone. 

Each year I seem to have a favourite subject: in 2016 it was the soldier beetles, this year so far it seems to be the wood ants. And I am quite grateful that I have not yet been bitten as I have mostly kneel and crouch on the ground to take some of these photos. I'd like to add that I am ever so careful where I place my feet as the floor is covered with these little fellows; which can take a while ...  

All the nearby trees are covered with streams of ants going up and down. While standing there watching them climb I have noticed that many of them just fall off ... not entirely sure if that is because they are bad climbers or because they want to save time ... having observed the ants one thing I have noticed: no time or matter is wasted. All is very organised and purposeful. 

Ants meet up to exchange information about food availability via their antenna and it also give them information about the other ant's ID. Sometimes they do also exchange food.

Shadow dance ...

What's up doc?

With spring progressing, the wood anemones will be disappearing soon to make room for the bluebells which have not yet quite opened up.

Tiny Hoverfly enjoying the pollen of a wood anemone.

The wood anemones fill the air with their sweet scent of vanilla and honey and clearly attracts a great variety of insects.

Photobombed ... this little beetle decided it wanted to be on the picture ;)

A very young 'Stretch Spider' sunbathing on the petal of a wood anemone. I spent some time watching it; so delicate, yet the petal can support the weight of this little spider. Just how clumsy are we humans!!

And the first 'Greater Stitchwort' flowers have made an appearance, it cannot be long now before the bluebells are out. 

Weather and light conditions permitting, I may be able to re-visit the woodland and return with news from the bluebells. 

Pastures and Stonewalls

Even though Spring only just began, this past weekend we all enjoyed tidings of summer with temperatures as high as 18 degrees (C).

View over the hills - a new place to make new friends with our small fellow beings.

After having spent month in layers of clothing in- and outdoors, it is invigorating to feel the warmth of the sun on the bare skin of arms and face. The skin is literally soaking up the sunbeams, which flood in streams of energy through the body and make you feel alive.

And of course this applies to all animals, not just the humans.

After a freezing cold night (my washing was frozen on the washing line outside), the temperatures climbed up to 16 degrees C and more very quickly. The sudden temperature change created a think haze, almost like fog. But the air cleared up eventually, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. The only reminder that it is still spring was a gentle breeze that would catch you every now and then. 

Who can resist this inviting sunshine? I surely couldn't and was keen to go and meet up with my small friends. Who will have made an appearance now the warmth is waking up nature from its winter sleep? Time to go and find out!

A public footpath right behind where I currently reside leads to nearby open fields. The path is sided by stone walls, it looks as though it was once a stream. The first part of the path is well used but soon it turns very muddy and most (dog) walkers seem to avoid it if they can. 

Nature always finds a way - this tree appears to have come down some time ago during a storm, but that doesn't stop it from growing ... part of the main stem is hollow and covered with moss, giving home to a varied selection of insects.

This of course is perfect for me. I seem to be a magnet for dogs when I am out with my camera. They all come running up to me. Usually because they are scared at first and cannot make out what this human is doing crouching on the ground - I could be another predator afterall ! - so they come and check me out, accompanied by much barking, followed by a very embarrassed owner shouting "(insert dog's name)! Come here!". 

This is of course in 95% of cases completely ignored. The dogs soon realise I am not a threat of any sort and then they want to be friendly. Too friendly! Now again, I don't mind that at all BUT NOT when I have just spotted a very rare insect about to take of or do something else of importance.  And why do they have to wee on the spot I just looked at?

On this particular day I even landed up with a collie dog following me for a good 40 minutes. At first I thought it's owners must be somewhere on these paths or perhaps it's a farmer's dog. It was extremely well behaved and it acted as it was supposed to be my dog. Eventually I noticed a dog tag with a number. It was clear that the owners were not anywhere near so I rang the number. Indeed the dog had escaped from her (it was a girl dog (I don't like the 'B' word) garden in the nearby village. I arranged to meet up with the owner somewhere halfway. The dog reluctantly went back home.

So, no dogs makes it quite a bit easier to concentrate on the small fellow beings.

The damp conditions are great for mosses and the banks are covered in a velvety carpet. Interupted only by the odd patch of yellow where the Lesser Celandines are growing; one of the first spring wildflowers to show its glossy little heads.

Lots of little micro worlds in the moss among the tree roots.

The air is filled with the scent of spring; blossoms, cut grass, the scent the skin gives off when exposed to the warm sunshine. All that lives is full with life. Just before reaching the open fields the path leads past some blackthorn bushes which are blossoming. Its white flowers are a great attraction to many buzzing beings, such as this tiny ensign fly. At first a little shy and hiding ...

... but it can't resist that delicious nectar for long and it just has to 'dig in'. 

One of my favourite spots to 'hang out' are stonewalls. If you sit still long enough, you will soon be surrounded by other life. The longer you are still (in mind and body) the more you see. The eyes soon adapt to even the slightest movement. It's now matter of catching it with the camera without disturbing them in their daily business. That is why I never use a tripod (no time and never get the angle right anyway) and no flash or light rings. If I could I would levitate so as not to trod on anything but there is a limit in my abilities ... 

Stonewalls are a much loved habitat for insects of all kind. Spiders love it for catching flies and small bugs, mostly blown into their silky strands and webs by gusts. Some of the very small insects have a hard time clinging on to the stone.

The above small creature was unidentified for some time but with help by knowledgable people on Twitter and also the Natural History Museum's ID forum we have come to the conclusion that it is a nymph, most likely a Heteroptera nymph.

A windswept 'Oulema obscura' - tiny leaf beetle

Ever so inquisitive jumping spiders - first pretending to run off only to return and eagerly examining the lens, first in mild  annoyance which quickly seem to turn into curiosity. One of the few where it is very easy to get a portrait shot. ;)

And of course the ever present jumping spiders! When I for the first time saw these close up I was totally taken by just how 'cute and fluffy' they look. In fact macro photography helped me overcome my phobia of spiders all together. Even the bigger ones I can now quite happily accept in the house. Sometimes I name them, just for the fun of it but I no longer break out into a heap of shivering sweating mess. Instead I have learnt just how much good they do, like every other insect and that they play all their part in nature.

After having spent some time, sometimes hours, observing what is small, bigger beings almost seem huge, such as this hover fly, coming to enjoy the warmth given off by the stone. I too enjoy sitting on stones, in the shelter of the stonewall, giving off heat which they stored from the sunbeams charging them up: nature's storage heaters.

There are so many different types of flies ... I am not very good ad ID'ing them. It's brown ... and hairy. And actually quite handsome. That's as far as I go. ;)

Spring time means of course mating but also the first appearances of all young ones, such as this juvenile Sawfly. Not sure which variation of the saw fly this will develop into though. Sawflies belong to the same insect group or order as Bees, Wasps and Ants. (News to me!)

They are apparently a pest for many gardeners but to me they are very beautiful. They were present in abundance last year in a meadow that was kept 'wild' for 2 years and I had the joy of being able to observe many different types of sawfly going on with their daily business of mostly hunting for prey in shape of other beetles, namely 'Soldier Beetles'. You find plenty of photographs on this matter in older blog posts.

On my way back to 'base' I spend some time in the open (and empty) grazing fields. Where there are dock plants, there are dock beetles; our natural weed killers. Little green jewels in our pastures. At this time of the year they only have one thought: mating. Some years ago I actually captured on camera a dock beetle male mating a ladybird ... I wonder how nature regulates cross species breeding .. I'd like to imagine a green sparkly bug with black spots! You will often find them in groups of three: one female and two males. The two males usually are wrangling over who is going to 'do the job'. They make for most entertaining observations and I have dedicated a specific page just to the dock beetles, one of which is shown below.

And lastly, for today's entry: let your lawns go wild especially in spring. The dandelions are an important and much needed source of food for all the bees who have woken up after the long winter months.  Dandelions are one of the first flowers to pop up and their sunny little heads pop up all over the pastures.

Well that is it for now, I have another entry to follow at somepoint soon about my 2nd visit to the magic area of woodland which is also very near to my 'base'. 

The bluebells will be out in large numbers very soon!