Light and Shade

 Here are a few more shots to show off the colours of a woodland autumn.

I have experimented with the second image showing it in black and white and while I do like to image I don't think it works nearly as well as the coloured version.

The last image is of a curious looking fungus, it is a variety called Helvella crispa and is known as a fluted white elfin saddle. Apparently some people say these are edible but there is some dispute about this and they are definitely not to be eaten raw. 

The Boar's Head

 I don't know whether you can see what I see, but when I saw this rotting log i thought of a wild boar rummaging in the dirt or perhaps just resting its chin on the ground.

I like looking for things like this where rotting wood has the appearance of something else it certainly adds a little interest to the decaying process.

In the Leaf Litter

 Meet Trypocopris vernalis.

I love getting down into the undergrowth and leaf litter to find what lurks there. It is so easy to miss what is beneath our feet but there is so much interesting stuff to see. Often it is very small so hard to see, or it moves really quickly so it is very difficult to have a good look let a lone get a decent image.

This little critter scurried across the forest path so I followed it for a little while to see where it would go. At first glance it looks pure black but as the light catches it you can see flashes of brilliant blue. on its belly there is even more blue and it is a really beautiful colour.

The "copris" part of its name gives a hint to one of the characteristics of this beetle, namely its diet, or at least the diet of its larvae since they feed on the dung of animals such as sheep and foxes, YUK! (the poo diet, not the fox). They are a species of dung beetle and their common name is the Common dor beetle or Spring dor beetle. The chances are if you have been out walking in the woods or anywhere in the countryside you will have seen one of these or perhaps one of its cousins as they are widespread across Europe and Asia minor. Despite its dodgy diet they are really cool. Go on take a closer look.

Grub

 I know that a lot of people won't want to look at creepie crawlies up close like this but I have to say that this is quite fascinating. You can see how small this little grub is if you compare it to the tip of the thumb and the blade of grass that it is clinging to. I am not sure what this larva will develop into whether it is a fly or a moth but whatever it is I have to say it is a little marvel.

I know that these are not the sharpest of images, they looked a little sharper on the small screen on my camera but at full size you can see how the slightest movement has been exaggerated especially in the low light of the forest shade

Damsel

I have mixed feelings about these images. 

First of all I was really chuffed to actually capture them since these beautiful Damselflies (the first I think is a male demoiselle, the second is a Brown Damselfly) hardly stopped to rest in their near constant search for food, so getting any image at all was quite a scoop.

The second one is especially fortuitous because as brightly coloured as it is I would normally miss it, lost in the greenery.

I am slightly disappointed because the heads in each are not in sharp focus; the reason for this is shortly before taking these pictures I had been experimenting with different focus settings on my camera and as I was not fully prepared for these shots and having to be extremely quick them main area of focus is the wings. However, this does show on closer inspection the stunning patterns in the lacy wings and in the red one the ovipositor  is in sharp focus.

My Obsession

This selection of fungi is testament to how much of an obsession it was on my trip to Canada to capture as many different species of fungi as I could. It was a freezing cold day in Centennial Park and I was out on my own in the forest while nearly everyone else was back at the house in the warm resting up after our mammoth hike the previous day. 

So maybe I am just a little but crazy but I certainly don't regret it. I think these are all amazing varieties, some of them have an alien quality about them especially the second one.

Do You Get The Point

I think the first two images are of Musk Thistle (or something very similar). The spines are really hard and viciously sharp. I really like the fine hairs along the edge of each leaf and the way they trap the tiny droplets of dew.

In the third picture I had intended to show the droplets lined up along the blade of grass but if you look closely you can also see fine hairs along the edge which is what has trapped the water and prevented it from draining away.

In The Canyon

As promised I have chosen a different subject today having posted pictures of fungi for the past three posts. But if you want more fungi you could always check my instagram today (chipster_63)

The first of todays pictures shows the path through the forest on the way to Ouimet Canyon in Ontario. It is a spectacular sight however on the day we visited there was thick fog or low cloud obscuring much of the view although it was really atmospheric.

The canyon itself is 100m deep, 150m wide and 2km from end to end. The origin of the canyon is glacial erosion but the erosion continues as a result of wind and rain. 

One of the rock features that you can see in the above photos is known as the "Indian Head" which eerily peers through the mist.

The bottom of the canyon is out of bounds because it is of special scientific interest due to the many species of arctic flora found there. Normally they would only be found 1000km to the north but the conditions at the bottom of the canyon allow these species to flourish.

On The Trail of The Giant

One of the highlights of my Canada trip this year was the 25km hike to the top of the Sleeping Giant and back. It was something I had been looking forward to doing since my first visit when the opportunity hadn't really arisen. It was definitely hard work in places but well worth the effort and there will be more shots from along the route and from the top in future posts.

However I also used the hike as another opportunity to photograph more of the many varieties of fungi along the way. Here are a few of them. I was amazed by how may different fungi there were and I really like the first of today's specimens that resembles a natural sponge.

Some of you might notice that one of these plants is not actually a fungi and I almost saved it for a post of its own because it is a really interesting plant.  It is of course the plant in the fourth image, it is Monotropa uniflora which is known as Indian Pipe or ghost plant. It is a herbaceous plant that grows very quickly when conditions are right. It is unusual because it is white and that is because it does not contain chlorophyll and so it is unable to produce energy from sunlight in the way that green plants do. Instead it is a parasitic plant that draws its energy from micorrhizal fungi which means ultimately it gets energy from the trees. It will often be found near beech trees and because it does not rely on sunlight it can actually grow in very dark environments.

It has a use in herbal medicine as a "nervine" for act on or affect the nerves; quieting nervous excitement. Which is ironic because I was quite excited to find this along the way.

Marie Louise Lake

Northern Ontario in the autumn and the leaves are changing colours rapidly. By now they're a riot of reds, yellow and gold, but on the day that we visited this spot on the lake the colours were not so vibrant although they were beginning to change. I thought that this image looks better in black and white because you can appreciate the contrast much better. I used a preset in Lightroom to add a little more warmth which the scene deserves and I think you will agree this is a lovely shot.

I chose to photograph this spot because a couple of years ago we camped here, about half way along this shore line and I had so much fun canoeing on the lake, getting up close with an otter family and watching a bald eagle fishing. It was really quiet here on this particular day because the season was coming to an end, but even during the summer it is a great place to get away from it all. There is no phone signal right here so you get a sense of being "off the grid" which is refreshing although I confess that there were times when I sneaked off to the other side of the park in order to call friends/family back home. 

Small and Chunky

According to the RSPB pocket guide to birds of Britain and Europe "Small and chunky" are the words used to describe the Stonechat, seen here perched at the top of a Hawthorn bush on the open heath land of the New Forest.

This is a male as you can tell from his black head and throat, his white neck and his rust red chest. 

This perch is typical for the species that like to sit high up on bushes  surveying the land round about and calling out Tsak, tsak-tsak before flying off in search of spiders and insects to feast on.

He really is quite a handsome bird and it was great to spot him while out walking with my son.

Autumnal Colours

Autumn is a great time to capture the fantastic colours all around as the season changes and we move closer to winter. A walk in the woods at this time of year presents a riot of greens, yellows, oranges and shades of brown and just about everything in between.

Recently at Dunham Massey I took a few pictures of the fallen leaves. In the first of today's images I thought it would look most striking in monochrome making the pale leaf stand out in stark contrast to the dark and leathery background.

In the second shot I have used a selective colour technique (something I have had fun experimenting with before) to really bring out the rich and vibrant colours of the fallen leaves.

I think both techniques work really well and I love both of these images, I hope that you do too.

Fungi

Here are a couple of great shots of tiny fungi spotted on a walk in the New Forest.

It was a wet day but that didn't stop us taking a long walk near Millyford Bridge. At one junction in the forest path there was a small pile of rotting stumps which had colonies of these small fungi. They're great subjects for photography. The first almost looks like it would be at home under water, like a coral while the second looks like a miniature forest in its own right.

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep

One of the things I love about camping is the fact that it brings you close to nature, or in this case it brings nature close to you.

Every morning and evening when my son and I returned to our tent in the New Forest and sat out to enjoy a meal in the sun we were visited by a nuthatch and a family of fledgling Chaffinches. They would come and sit in the bracken and cheep noisily helped along by the scraps we fed them. Well they were so lovely we couldn't resist.

Deer Stalking

During my recent trip to the New Forest with my youngest son we stopped off for a walk at a place called Whitemoor just outside Emery Down. We hoped to spot some wildlife but apart from a few ponies there wasn't very much to see and after a heavy rainfall the ground was water logged so finding a good path was a little tricky. 

I had almost decided to turn back so that we could try our luck in a different spot when we spotted a lone fallow deer in the distance. We carefully worked our way around the edge of the woodland to see if we could get close and as we did so we realised that there was a small herd of deer on the far side of a clearing and this made us even more determined to get as close as possible.

It was really difficult as the land was really boggy and we had to navigate our way crossing a couple of streams, all the time conscious of the fact that any noise might spook the deer and  any photo opportunity would be lost. We found a good spot just on the edge of a small copse and I was able to get these shots. We were still a bit too far away though and as we edged closer the deer became alerted to our presence and skipped into the trees where they stayed as if taunting us.

I like the first picture because there is a carefree feeling to the shot of the young deer at play, the second picture was captured at the point the deer became aware of us and they are poised to make their escape.

It was a great experience stalking the deer as we did and getting this close and while these are technically not the best pictures I am happy with them as a reminder of the day.

Fat Cow

I did think about calling today's post something like "nice rack" but that would be tacky and beneath me, another option was "Moo!" but this cow was silently chewing so that didn't seem appropriate either. Now as I am writing I realise that "Fat Cow" is a misnomer too because this is in fact a bull but never mind...

I really like the black and white shot, and although the pictures are almost identical, taken just seconds apart I think it is a more effective image in black and white with greater contrast. I know that not everyone will agree with me on that but perhaps it is because I am colour blind in the first picture the bull is not as clearly defined as in the second because the browns and greens merge too much and while I like the picture it just doesn't work as well for me.

This fabulous beast lives in the New Forest and grazes on the pasture just outside of Brockenhurst. If you have ever been it is likely that you will have spotted this Bull or others like it as they are a fixture of the place. It is a place that I love to visit and where I have some very nice memories.

Ugly Bug

I know this is really not a very pretty picture but nonetheless it is a fascinating shot of the fly which landed on my t-shirt. For a one-handed shot I am pleased with the clarity and detail and that is why I am sharing it.