Death Come Quickly

 

I haven't really been able to indulge my passion for photography for a long time and on the odd occasions when I have been able to get out with my camera I have had limited time and only managed to get a few shots and so I have not regularly posted anything to my blog, it has been in fits and starts. So this past week has been a much needed treat for me. I was able to spend a few days down in Somerset and Devon and along the way I managed to capture a few decent images that I am looking forward to sharing and perhaps sharing the story behind some of them.

On Monday I went to Hestercombe Gardens just outside of Taunton. There are some lovely formal gardens designed by Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens in 1908, but there are also some wonderful landscaped gardens which date back to the 1750's with lots of little surprises and hidden gems, such as gothic temples, cascades and alcoves where you can sit and enjoy spectacular views across the garden. 

It was wet and grey when I visited but that didn't spoil the visit in any way. In fact the rain added some extra interest as you can see from the images above. 

I have a few more pictures with a watery theme to come but for today I have a shot of this Geranium robertianum; a species of cranesbill. It is commonly known as herb-Robert, fox geranium, red robin, stinking Bob, crow's foot, squinter-pip and as in the title of this post death come quickly. Apparently it can be used in folk medicine with a variety of benefits; one that particularly interests me is that the smell from the leaves if rubbed on the body will repel mosquitoes. As someone who seems to attract mosquitoes and all manner of bitey bugs that sounds quite tempting although perhaps the smell which is said to be similar to burning tyres may actually drive away more than just mosquitoes.

This is a very unassuming little plant and could have been overlooked very easily but I think it was worth the time and attention to get this shot (and the cropped image too) with the raindrops for added interest. The pink flower stands out nicely against the green backdrop of bracken, I think it is really beautiful.

A Puzzle...

I thought that for today I would give you a little puzzle by sharing a picture of something close up that will hopefully get you thinking.  It is probably not immediately obvious what this is and I won't tell you today. It would be fun if you leave a comment to say what you think it is. It really is just for fun and I will give the answer tomorrow with a photo or two of the whole thing.

This first image might be a bit tricky so if you scroll down the second image might help you guess/work it out.

They represent the front and back... but that is enough no more clues.

please join in the fun and have a guess.

Also when I was preparing these images I thought they might actually work well as a Jigsaw Puzzle, what do you think? If so which would be most interesting and/or challenging to do?

Don't forget to comment :)
 

A Handsome Couple

This pair of Mallard ducks was seated on a wooden railing overlooking there mere and sheltering from the rain. They allowed me to get pretty close, their heads pretty much filling the full frame. The light was really poor and the ISO for these shots is 12,800, even so you have to agree these are pretty sharp. 

I think the female in the first image looks as though she is smiling, the drake on the other hand is like "what you looking at?"

Dragon or Fairy

I took these shots at the weekend at Burton Mere Wetlands. I had gone to photograph waders and so I was set up with my 150mm - 600mm lens so not the best set up for photographing flying insects. I didn't think I had time to switch to my macro lens so I did my best.

The large zoom lens is quite heavy and slow so taking these shots, hand held was a challenge and I had to take a few steps back to be able to focus but I think I did ok. 

This dragonfly appears settled but he kept on taking off in search of a meal and in the final shot you can see he is finishing off a mouthful of fly.

Look Into My Eyes!

I had intended on posting some flower images today but looking through the folder of pictures I spotted these shots of a hover fly and decided that I would follow up the past two days pictures of bugs with these before moving onto something a little prettier.

Although I say prettier I think you will agree these are quite spectacular and as you look closer at the compound eyes you can see how magnificent they really are. I love macro photography...

Do you ever wonder how things look to these creatures with such complex eyes?

Golden Fly

So today is my birthday and I went for a walk at Bickerton Hill in Cheshire. The day had started off wet and grey but by this afternoon it brightened up a little.

I had my bag of kit with me, unsure exactly what I would shoot but I spotted this fly and decided today would be a Macro day...

I got some nice shots of bugs and some early season fungi and I look forward to sorting through them and sharing them with you.

It is pretty much universally accepted that flies are ugly, dirty pests but when you take a closer look they often have some really interesting features. Take this one for instance the golden stripes on its face set it off. In the original shot (this is a low res image) the features are really sharp too so you can see the individual lenses that make up the compound eyes.

Camouflage

Ok so I know grasshoppers are not the most attractive creatures but they are pretty incredible, especially up close. They also have really effective camouflage. 

Take the first image, this chat was sat on some pebbles, basking in the sun. I imagine it was able to absorb a lot of heat because the stones it was on were quite hot but it is the camouflage that is most impressive. I don't know whether this is its normal colouring or whether it possesses some chameleon like colour change bio-technology.

I prefer the colours of the second hopper as it is a little easier for me to see. What I like about this second image however is the detail. Sadly because converting the image for the blog affects the resolution it isn't as sharp but it is still pretty good.

Lanner Falcon

Today's offering from the Turbary Woods Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary is this beautiful Lanner Falcon.

This is not a native species but is normally found in Africa and Southern Europe. In 1666 some were reported in The Forest of Dean and Sherwood Forest but these were likely to have been escaped hunting birds.

They have a different hunting style to the Peregrine Falcon which tends to stoop attacking its prey at great speed from above, the Lanner by contrast has a more horizontal flight and takes its prey in flight. This bird was part of the flying demonstration and it was truly a great spectacle. As it flew above the trees a large flock of pigeons scattered noisily before the falcon returned to the arena to chase the lure. It whooshed past at speed and getting a photo of it in action was incredibly difficult we will see later in the week whether I was successful or not. For now these three shots of the falcon on its perch will have to do.

I think the first picture is my favourite because it is looking straight at the camera with its piercing gaze. I have cropped the third image to get a little closer to highlight the detailed markings on its face and to show off that imposing beak.

Mystery Flower

So this is a greatly enlarged image of a favourite woodland flower. But can you tell what it is?

I love the way the inner petals curl back, they almost look like spools of cotton and the dark  pink adds depth and contrast.

It may be quite difficult to identify so I will give you a clue...

These flowers generally appear through the woodland floor before the leaves, curling upwards on spindly stems.

Please leave a comment if you think you know what it is. I will reveal the answer tomorrow.

Out Of This World

This humble Honey Bee is taking a short break on the petals of a Cosmos flower. 

I was going to post a picture of the centre of the flower because it is quite spectacular when seen close up and they are a lovely flower however I love this shot of the bee and decided that this was the right picture to share today. They are so industrious and having been really busy myself for the past two days I can empathise with the need to stop for a moment and take a breather.

An Expressive Face

These little critters are Colombian Spider Monkeys and they were enjoying the summer sunshine but the heat doesn't really match that of their home in Colombia.

Stood with some of the other visitors to the zoo I wondered what the monkeys made of everyone staring and pointing at them. They certainly seemed curious and their faces are so expressive. But its not just their facial expressions that are so captivating but their overall body language. 

I think they are very photogenic and I love all of these shots but the middle picture is my favourite.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Also tomorrow is a landmark for this blog so make sure you come back tomorrow for what I hope will be a real treat.

A Trio of Nymphs and Fairies

So I realise that some of you will be thinking "where are the fairies?" but of course you know they are well hidden and you will probably never find them.

A bit like the first of today's butterflies which is an Indian Leaf Butterfly or Dead Leaf Butterfly which is so well camouflaged that unless I had stopped to take this close up would probably have been easily missed.

The second image is a close up of another Common Mormon similar to the one I posted yesterday.

The final image is of one of my favourite butterflies the Giant Wood Nymph. I love the contrast of the crisp white and bold black that work so well together, gorgeous!

ps if you spot a fairy let me know :)

A Great Tit

On Saturday I had planned on going to Bodnant Gardens in North Wales, desperate for some spring colour but I woke to the sound of pounding rain on the roof and my mood became as grey as the clouds as I realised that my planned photo shoot was not going to happen.

Later in the day the skies cleared and the sun came out. It was too late to travel to Bodnant but I wanted so much to get out so decided to go somewhere closer to home and hit upon the idea of the Walled Garden at Royden Park. This is a local gem and although the park is a favourite with families and dog walkers the walled garden is a secluded and often over looked spot and whenever I have visited in the past I have found myself alone or just joined by one or two other visitors, Saturday was no exception and in the afternoon sun it was a perfect spot.

It is stil very early in the season and there weren't too many floral specimens on display (there were a few which I will be sharing in due course) but I spent some time watching the birds visiting a corner of the garden where there are a number of feeders set up to encourage the wildlife. 

Today's picture is of a beautiful Great Tit that was taking almost as much interest in me as I was in him. He perched for a few moments, just long enough for this shot, before flying to feed his pretty little face.

A Pick Me Up

I didn't post anything yesterday, I wasn't really in the right frame of mind to choose a picture to share but today I wanted to share something really nice.

Perhaps my favourite flower is the Freesia, I love the different colours, I love to watch as the bunches of tiny buds open up into beautiful blooms and of course the scent is amazing.

I have some at home today and so I set up my camera on a tripod, attached my 100mm macro lens and took a few shots.

I love to get in close and see the detail, like here for example the pollen looks as if the stamen have been dipped in sugar. The colours here are also so rich and warm, there is something about this image that cheers me up. I hope it will brighten your day too.

Red Breast

I had intended to leave the woodland of Mere Sands Wood behind and go back in time for some pictures from a few years ago but I decided I couldn't leave it without posting one more shot of a beautiful robin.

Enjoy

What a Super Moon

I was somewhat disappointed last night, seeing shots from around the world of the fantastic moon because here at home the cloudy skies meant that I got barely a glimpse.

Tonight however it was different story at least for a short while as the sky was cloud free for just long enough to get a few decent shots. I know that I have posted pictures of the moon before but it's hard to resist so I hope you enjoy these.

Birthday Moon

Yesterday there was a brilliant full moon and a clear sky (apart from a few wispy clouds) and so I thought I would try out a few shots. In the past when I have taken pictures of the moon I have never quite got the settings right and when I enlarge the images they appear grainy. This time however I think I have got it just about right and I think these are the best moon shots I have taken and definitely worth sharing. I love the detail in these pictures and I think the wispy clouds add some atmosphere (pun intended!).

Abstract Montana

So today I have decided to follow on from yesterday's choices and stick with some macro photos of flowers.  

Flowers are great subjects for photography with so many shapes, textures and of course colours. But close up they are also great for abstract pictures like these.

The second shot isn't as clear as I would like given the magnification but it is still an interesting image.

These pictures are cropped from photos of the Clematis Montana that was in flower a few weeks ago.  And so that you can appreciate the beauty of the flower and the extent to which these shots have been enlarged I have posted a third picture below... enjoy! 

Forget Me Not...

"Wow!"

That's what I hope you thought when you saw these pictures.  I love the beauty of these flowers and the way the colours come to life in these shots.  

Today's pictures relate to the shots I shared yesterday, all except one that is.  Can you spot the odd one out and tell me which one it is, also one from yesterday is missing here, so again can you tell me which one is missing?   

And one final question, if you looked at yesterday's blog did you know that the third picture was the flower of a stinging nettle? As you can see above in the fourth picture that is exactly what it is.  I love the fine detail, don't you? 

Close up on Clematis

The Clematis in the pictures above is currently in full bloom in my back garden.  I have taken a series of pictures getting progressively closer and revealing more detail of the flowers.  When looking at the mass of flowers which form the backdrop to the garden it is easy to miss the intricate detail, so I hope that you like the view I have given you today.

The final picture is of course not Clematis at all, but is a variety of Lavender.

Over the next few days I will be showing some more pictures of flowers and plants so come back for some more colour and fine detail...