No Show Socks!?

 So if you have taken the time to click on the link and scroll down past the pictures you might be wondering why on earth I have titled this post "No Show Socks!?"

You may be thinking these are not socks (if you are not thinking that I would be more than a little surprised) they are seed pods! indeed they are seed pods but in an attempt to identify the exact species of seed pod I used Google Lens which has usually proved to be fairly reliable in identifying plants and animals (with a few exceptions) and the majority of results suggested these were pictures of no show socks, other suggestions were safety socks, wonder grip work gloves, heat resistant gloves, a balaclava, peppers or chillies, sea slug and even maggot larva. Of the 60 suggestions only 4 were of seed pods. Then when i tried the same thing with the black and white image not one suggestion was of a seed pod. So if you want a little fun try it for yourself snap the image with google lens and see what it comes up with.

So although I would love to accurately identify this seed pod I cannot. It might be a variety of maple, or an acer, or sycamore but exactly what I cannot say. I believe that the seeds themselves are edible (not the pods) and I think they make for quite a good image. If you stare at the pictures you might see different things, I can see a heart in the space between the seeds, or perhaps a pair of wings, maybe an ancient warrior's helmet or as my son suggested a pair of lungs. Whatever you see they are quite cool. 

If you can identify what they are please let me know in the comments, also if you do the google lens experiment let me know what your favourite alternative suggestion is it could be fun to compare...

Open Hearted

Anyone who has seen my regular posts over the past few years will know that something I look for are nature's hearts. It can be pebbles, a cut tree trunk, even sea foam, but something that often produces beautiful natural hearts is emerging ferns.

I spotted this one yesterday and I really like how the heart in the foreground is opening up to reveal a smaller closed heart emerging in the background.

The settings for these two shots were slightly different and in the first shot the greens were not quite so fresh and vibrant so I used a black and white preset in Lightroom which I think works really well.  For those who prefer a more natural look the second image may be more up your street. 

Cold By The Canal

Today with warnings on the news that weather conditions would be really bad across the country I took a risk and set off for Chirk in North Wales for a walk along the Llangollen Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal and across the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (built by Thomas Telford and completed in 1805, now a World Heritage Site) that spans the River Dee.

When I left home first thing the weather was atrocious with heavy, driving rain and bitter cold, it seems that those conditions continued all day but at Chirk and along the canal things were a good deal calmer.

As you can see from these two images the sky was mostly clear and blue and although there was a cold wind I was wrapped up well and managed to stay warm for the duration of the walk (8 miles in total).

I have walked here before but in the summer or spring and there are usually lots of other walkers but today it was really tranquil and I think these two pictures give a perfect representation of how peaceful it was. I was thrilled to capture the rainbow in the first shot as it arced across the snowy fields.

I like the solitary tree in the second shot too. If I had had my tripod with me I would have tried a longer exposure to smooth out the surface of the canal and enhance the reflection but to be honest I really like the picture as it is, even with the sunspots. There is a warmth to the image and I will add the tree to my collection of nature's hearts. I know, I am such a romantic but I like to photograph hearts that appear in nature and I am sure that when the tree is in full foliage the heart would not be as visible.

A Thousand Flowers...

... well not quite

this is White Yarrow Seed or Achillea millefolium a wildflower which produces these beautiful crisp white clusters of tiny flowers. I haven't posted anything for a few days so thought that this was a good way to mark my return. I like the natural heart shape of the flower head

Heart Of Stone

I received some unwelcome news today which has left me feeling flat and out of sorts. I know that other people have been having a tough time recently too and so I thought I would post this picture of one of nature's hearts to send out some love to everyone who needs it.

Heart Of Stone

Whenever I am out and about with my camera I look for nature's hearts and on the beach at Squaw Bay I found this heart shaped stone which when placed on a piece of driftwood looks really good.

Majestic

Majestic really is the perfect adjective for these Magnolia flowers. I love these flowers they emerge from a beautiful furry bud and they bloom for just a short time. I love the colour and the shapes in these pictures and in the third shot we have one of nature's hearts which I always love to find and share. These flowers were also particularly fragrant adding to the beauty something which can't be shared in the image.

One thing which has always puzzled me is the colour "magnolia" and I remember as a child my parents picking magnolia paint when they were doing a spot of decorating at home. It just looked white to me, I thought it was just  a fancy name and I didn't realise then that there was a plant which had given the paint its name. But then when I look at the different varieties of Magnolia I see a whole variety of colours and shades and it bothers me that "Magnolia" isn't a colour. It's like saying "Rose" or "Peach" are colours, they're not. Perhaps it's just me, because I don't see colours the way other people do, maybe I'm just being pedantic because I can deal with precise colours like red, green, pink, yellow etc or even shades of those colours (even if my perception of them is different) but if someone describes a colour to me in terms of Magnolia or Rose it means nothing to me because I can't visualise it. 

Anyway I'm not quite sure why I went into that since the purpose of the blog is to share my photos but you have more than you bargained for with a little insight into my mind. If that freaks you out just scroll back to the images and normal service will be resumed.

New Blooms

A few more blooms from Bodnant today, the first picture I love, showing the delicate new tendrils of Clematis with the fine downy fur covering the new shoots, giving the promise of fresh green leaves and abundant beautiful flowers.

The next two shots are of different varieties of Primula, both were growing in the shade of larger shrubs. I love the central yellow star at the centre of these lovely woodland flowers but I particularly love the delicate heart shaped petals.

For those who have seen my blog in the past the flower in the final image needs no introduction but for newcomers I can tell you it is Turkish Glory of the Snow, I first saw this in the gardens at Chirk Castle and I posted some pictures about three weeks ago, why not go back and have a look and compare them and see which you prefer.

Another of nature's hearts

Just one picture for today.  

I get really excited when I find a heart in nature.  They can appear in some really unexpected places, like this one.  This is a very small succulent which was growing in a gap on a slate wall in Beddgelert.  Although it is quite large in this picture in reality it is just a few milimetres across.  It would have been so easy to miss.  I am so glad I didn't.

#nature's hearts #succulent #Beddgelert #Macro photos

Flag Iris

So here are three pictures of a yellow Iris.  I really like the vivid colour.  My favourite image is the first one of the plants stamen which appears almost animal like.  I also really like the second shot which shows the shape and structure of the plant.

Originally I wasn't going to use the third image or I was going to use a tighter crop but then I saw the heart in the centre and so I couldn't resist sharing it.