Hello all.
UPDATED 20th MARCH 2022.
Well, here I am again. I'll carry on until something else happens! I've had even more problems. This has to be the end of a trying time for me. I hope. For those who have seen the original post on the 10th of February, scroll down to the blue text and read from there. The rest of the readers, start here.Life got in my way again as regards posting more regularly. SIGH. Oh, well, here I am with my latest post. This one is all natural history and nice countryside photos.
If I don't think an image needs a comment from me, I won't add one.
I'm starting with my best photos of lepidoptera last year. A couple of them rank as my best discoveries in several years.
The first one is a Mother of Pearl Moth and my all time best moth photo. I've photographed several of them over the last few years. I never understood why they are called "Mother of Pearl", as they have all been white, or off white moths. That is until I took the one below, then I understood it's name, I was amazed! It seems that the light needs to be at a particular angle to the moth, before it's beautiful iridescence becomes visible. It's wingspan is 26 to 40 mm.
Mother of Pearl moth
Next, my second best moth photo last year, a beautiful Frosted Orange. Along with a few others, it was one my Holy Grail moths. I woke one morning to find this one sleeping on our front door. It's said that everything comes to those who waits.
Frosted Orange moth
The moth below is an annual visitor to our house, I love this one. It's a reasonably large moth, with a wingspan of 45 to 50 mm. It was in the perfect position for photographing.
Angle Shades.
Below is a detail of the Angle Shades head, showing the tufts of scales.
Angle Shades, detail
My last moth in this post is a Brimstone Moth, I had several of them come to the door last year, far more than normal. (Many moths come to light and flowers). This one is another regular visitor. A newly hatched one is a beautiful, bright yellow. Like many moths, their colour fades as they get older.
Brimstone Moth
Now for my last lepidoptera in this post. It's a very striking Peacock Butterfly. The large spot on each wing is to make predators think it's a great deal larger than it is. If disturbed, the peacock butterfly can rub its wings together to create a hissing sound. This combined with its large eye-spots, will help to deter predators. After waking from hibernation, this butterfly often lays 500 eggs at a time.
Peacock Butterfly
I have two more wildlife photos to show, before I move to another topic. The first is a Marmalade Hoverfly. It's called that because of the orange lines on its body, which resemble shredded marmalade. In Britain there are over 270 species and over 6,000 hoverfly species across the world. They are known as farmers friends, as the are important pollinators of plants and crops. Also, some of their larvae have a huge appetite for aphids, which damage millions of pounds worth of crops each year. Thay have no sting and are harmless to humans. Their yellow and black stripes make them look like wasps and are for protection against predators. I love to watch them hover in the air over flowers.
Marmalade Hoverfly on Bramble flower
The last wildlife creature is the Heron. They are an impressive sight, being 90 to 98 cm in height with a wingspan of 175 to 195 cm. I've tried to get a photo of one for years but they take to the air, if you get anywhere near them. I was very pleased with this shot.
Heron.
I'm going to have to stop for now, I don't usually do this, but I'm posting what I've typed up so far. Tomorrow or the day after, I shall finish the rest of this post.
OK, here are the rest of the images for this post.
First, two skyscapes. Clouds are such incredible things to photograph. They constantly vary in size, shape, colour and amount of clouds visible at an time. They are good indicators of weather to come too.
Sunset over a Winter Field
Sunny Day on the Moors
Three tree images.
Sunlit Woods, Hollins Lane Nature Reserve
The Weir at Hollins Lane
I came across this on a walk. As soon as I saw it, I thought " This is a tree clock" The title was born. Some things present themselves to me on sight, others need a little thought.
Tree Clock
The next image is the only photo which relates to the sea. It was taken on the beech at Heacham, Norfolk, at sunset.
Tide on the Beach
Below are two images from a series I'm working on, of the Calder and Hebble canal. This is a wonderful area for photography and walking. Depending upon the weather, time of year and time of day, it changes dramatically. It's a haven for flora and fauna. If you're lucky, you may see a Kingfisher fly from the trees, down to the water and catch a fish. There are narrow boats gliding past from time to time, too.
Bracken by the Canal Side
Leaves and Grass Floating Past
The last nine images, are some of my current favourite plant and flower photos. Nature really is amazing.
Greater Willowherb in Autumn
Crane's Bill Seedpods
Hogweed Seedpods
Pixy Cup Lichens with Raindrops
The title of the following photo, is an in-joke. There are several species of ornamental grasses called "Feather Grass". This it not one of them! Actually, this is the second photo I've takes of a feather caught in a low-growing plant. Maybe I could hunt for more and make a collection of them. They'd make a nice little book. The other photo can be found in my blog post dated, Monday 11th May 2020 and titled, "An Offering".
Feather Grass
Most people look at things but don't see them. "Oh look, a pretty flower". Then they walk on. The closer you get to objects, the more you see in them, try it!
Close-up of a Zinnia Flower
Tagetas Macro photograph
The last two photos in this post are of Teasel seed heads. I took them less than three minutes apart. They are incredibly photogenic. I think I mentioned teasels before in an earlier post. They're very common in West Yorkshire. The seed heads used to be used in the textile industry. Below is a VERY short item about them.
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/teasel-power-1847165
Teasels against the Sun
Teasels against the Sky
