Something Sticky

 

Earlier this year I had very few new pictures to share and that was really frustrating. I wasn't getting out nearly enough with one thing or another so I felt like things were drying up a little bit. More recently I have been out, photographing all manner of things; fast jets, sand yachts, landscapes, star trails, medieval architecture, woodlands and beaches and now I have so much stuff I don't know what to post, I have felt a little stuck.

So if you will pardon the pun, I thought I would share something sticky and what is more sticky than a stick? I can hear the groans now, sorry.

These shots were taken on a recent walk in a Welsh forest on a cold day early in November. The light was not the best but every  now and then as the winter sun managed to break through the clouds there were moments when the woodland colours shone through the grey.

The forest was mostly pine so there wasn't a lot of colour but I thought these pine cones, mosses and lichens made for interesting images which I hope you will enjoy. 

A Little Bit of Bokeh

 After the Goldcrests (see yesterdays post) had flown away I hung around for  little while and tried to make use of the sunlight through the trees. 

I spotted a little bit of lichen on a broken branch so tried to get a nice image of it, in doing so I noticed the bokeh created by the light breaking through the trees and shrubs in the background. So I spent some time experimenting trying to capitalise on this interesting effect.

I practiced with some other plants as well as the lichen and I will share them in my next posts.

These were shot using my 100 - 400mm telephoto lens and 1.4x converter at F8, 1/1000 sec and ISO 3200 

Leaf Litter

 One of the things I love about walking in the forest is kicking my way through the leaf litter, this colourful pile was below a large beech tree. I love the rich, warm colours glistening from the recent rain.

I spotted the lichen not far away, this plant has always fascinated me with its incredible structure. Of course lichen is not really a plant but a composite organism, they have no roots and gain their nutrients via photosynthesis and they grow on bark or hang from branches as if living on thin air. 

Lichens are truly amazing, they are found in all climates and all altitudes and some can even survive inside solid rock.

I have just looked in Wikipedia and discovered that there are around 20,000 different species of lichen and a staggering 6 -8% of the earths surface is covered with lichen.

A Green Medley

I like to find heart shapes in nature, I think they make good subjects for photography so spotting this shrub growing under the shadow of a yew tree was a stroke of luck. Well not so much luck I suppose, in a botanical garden there are so many plants that there are bound to be several with heart shaped leaves. I had to take a few shots to get the lighting just right but I think it works quite well.

 This second image is very different. I had paused to rest for a few minutes on a bench in the sun. It was obviously a very old bench and when I looked at the wooden slats that I was sat on I realised that there was a lot of life in the moss and lichens that were growing in abundance. 

Lichens are really amazing organisms some varieties are among the oldest living things; did you know 6 - 8% of the earths surface is covered with lichen of one sort or another? Also did you know that lichen can grow inside rock, and they can exist in the most extreme conditions? I guess these must be pretty hardy varieties given the number of butts that must have sat on them over the years, including mine :) .

The Odd One Out

A few days ago I shared a few pictures of Fungi from my first hike in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and for today I have selected some more fungi, this time from a hike along one of the trails in the Pigeon River Provincial Park. Most of these were along the boardwalk but there are some from the Finger point walk too and in time there will be lots more to come. 

Of course unless you have been there none of the walks I mention will mean anything but that really isn't important, it's the fungi that really matter and these are fabulous specimens.

The odd one out of course is the lichen in the fourth image which is really tiny and easily overlooked but in its own way it is as spectacular as the larger and more fleshy fungi. 

It really is amazing how many different varieties there are in so many different colours, shapes and sizes

Rooftop Garden

It may be difficult to work out exactly what you are looking at in today's picture so the title of the post might help a bit.

You are actually looking down onto the top of a wooden fence post which has rotted away to form a concave space which has been colonised by lichens and moss and what looks a bit like a bramble. 

I think it is rather beautiful and it is one of those things that we would more often than not walk past without a second glance but I think it makes a wonderful image and from this particular perspective it looks really good.

Part Of The Circle

As well as shooting pictures of the whole stone circle at Castlerigg I selected this stone for special treatment. I loved the colour and shape of the stone and from this perspective I think it makes a great image.

The stones at Castlerigg have been standing for around 5000 years and when they were erected they must have served a purpose, perhaps for a ritual with some spiritual meaning. Now they are cold, abandoned and mysterious. But a closer look at the stones show them to be host to colonies of moss and lichens which give them rich tapestry of layers of colour and texture.

Woodland Gems

I have connected these three images from my New Years Day walk at Mere Sands Woods. I had gone to photograph some of the bird life there but as I walked through the woods my eye was drawn to some of the objects on the woodland floor. 

These pieces of fallen timber are all host to a myriad of other life forms, ferns, fungi, lichen and moss as well as all manner of insects and invertebrates. Each fallen log or branch is a miniature eco system in its own right. I love the richness and variety of colours and the way the light and dappled shade creates patterns on the ground. 

When we walk we often miss so much beauty around us, especially the stuff beneath our feet and so it feels good to share these pictures with you as a reminder to look down as well as up when walking in our wonderful woodlands.

Signs of Spring

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of some Lichen growing on a rock to show the rich warm colours, the first two pictures today are of new lichen growth on the branches of a fruit tree. We tend to overlook these small plants but they really do deserve a closer a look, the colours and intricate shapes are quite spectacular.

The next two pictures are of Witch Hazel blossom which in the winter garden at Chirk provided a real burst of colour and a light fragrance.

Taken together these pictures show that spring really is on it's way...

I Like Lichen...

Today's pictures from my walk on Saturday are different to the ones which will follow over the next few days in that while the others will all be of the wider landscape these focus on the things we don't tend to notice.  

The first is of a small cluster of lichen and moss which were growing in the shelter of a small cleft in some rock.  This was taken using my Canon 100mm macro lens.  Pictures 2 & 3 are of lichen growing on the side of a rock at the edge of a fast flowing stream.