Amazing Dorset Flora

I was impressed by some of the amazing flora I came across while walking over the Dorset uplands. The lowland meadows were awash with buttercup, celendine and daisy, but as you climbed to the higher ground flora changed quite dramatically. For example, climbing to the clifftop path above Lulworth Cove I came across these beautiful mauve/pink wild freesia plants.

Wild Freesia

I don't recall ever seeing these anywhere else in Dorset, but there were several plants close to the footpath above the coast so perhaps they enjoy the salt breeze?

Tilly loved the freedom of running and exploring several of Dorset's Iron Age hill forts. I was impressed by the number of Early Purple Orchids growing among the Cowslips on the slopes.

Early Purple Orchid

Early Purple Orchid

These stunning miniature orchids are obviously hardier than they appear, I find them absolutely beautiful and was dismayed to see someone had picked several, dumping the broken stems on the ground.

Early Purple Orchid

I found it hard to resist photographing these wonderful orchids wherever I came across them.

Something else I found impressive was the number of Cinnabar Moths flitting from bloom to bloom. I'm used to seeing these in the fields of Monmouthshire, but not in such numbers as were present in Dorset. Here's one I photographed feeding on a Field Scabius.

Field Scabius & Cinnabar Moth

Not native and considered by many to be a menace, but nevertheless beautiful are these rododendron blossoms I photographed growing in a hedgerow.

Rododendron

Wild roses in their various forms featured in many hedgerows.

Wild Rose

Wild Rose

It seems to me we often bypass our wild flowers, but we really shouldn't because many are truly spectacular and deserve to be admired and enjoyed.

Nature's Variations

This is an interesting time of year if you're a fan of Mother Nature's colour variations. Everyone thinks of Autumn as the time when leaves change colour, but in truth there are colour variations in plants, shrubs and trees throughout the year.

Just a few days ago these leaves were all green, not any more though.

And look at this teasel. A few days ago the head was green and in a few more days it will be covered in tiny flowers and look purple, but right now it's variegated.

Then there are the apples growing on my tree at home.

I wouldn't even like to try and guess how many hints of colour there are in the fruits, but as they grow and ripen they will transform from small, hard green lumps to delicious, sweet red-skinned orbs that won't last long in my fruit bowl!

Spot the difference

Three images, one subject, two different cameras...

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Can you tell which of the images was shot with a DSLR and which with a compact camera?

Pushing the boundaries?

I was fiddling around with one of my cameras this morning, just seeing how it felt in my hand really and trying a few things out. I hadn't had a DSLR in my hands for at least 12 months

It was just after 8:00am, windy, spitting rain. The skies were dark with heavy cloud cover, consequently the light was very flat so not ideal conditions for natural light photography at all. Undaunted, I ventured out into the garden and shot this:

ISO 2000, aperture f5.6, shutter speed 1/400 sec, focal length 300mm, flash did not fire

The camera was hand-held and I tried to focus on the stamen - not too easy given the flower heads were waving about in the wind. Here's another effort:

ISO 2000, aperture f5.6, shutter speed 1/400 sec, focal length 300mm, flash did not fire

The camera settings are a bit extreme for me, I rarely shoot with a film rating above ISO 400 and in the available light conditions I would normally use a tripod or some other form of camera support with a 300mm lens. However this morning's experiment was to see whether I could handle a camera again and I think the answer to that question is a resounding yes! Happy bunny. 😃

Flora (and Fauna) in the Almbachklamm

I simply couldn't leave my short series of blog posts featuring the magnificent Almbachklamm without posting at least a few images of the flora to be found in the gorge. Let's start with these:

Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley

Yeah I know, but I thought it was kind of apt to begin the gorge's flora with Lily of the Valley.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll already know I'm not much good at identifying plants, I just like to look at them. I'll caption those plants I know, but would be very appreciative of any help to identify the ones I don't.

Cornflower

These are a type of Cornflower I think...

Cornflower 

Cornflower

Ferns have always interested me and I'm pretty sure this next one is a Brittle Bladder Fern.

Brittle Bladder Fern

Wild Strawberry

Love wild strawberries, they are so good to eat. Ahem... don't pick them all!

These are known to me as Granny's Bonnet - their real name is Aquilega. I don't remember seeing them in such a deep purple before.

Aquilega

And I'll finish off with these...

No idea what this caterpillar will turn into, but he's kind of cute.

Talking of cute, how about this little chap?

Lest we forget, poppies come in other colours too

When I think of poppies I admit my mind immediately turns to the red ones we all associate with the First World War, Flanders fields and Armistice Day.

But of course poppies come in a variety of other colours too. Here are a couple that thrive in my neighbourhood.

These can also be found, but only in one local garden I know of.

And if you keep your eyes open you'll also spot these.

I think my favourite colour of poppy that grows locally is still the red one...

...though of all the poppies I've seen over the years I think this may be the most beautiful.

I don't know anyone who grows these and I've never seen seeds (this one was growing in Trebah Gardens in Cornwall).

Foxgloves

How different these wonderful wild flowers appear

In Bright Sunshine

In Shaded Woodland

And In The Rain

To the woods, the woods I tell ye!

I do love our local woodland at this time of year, especially on a warm sunny morning like the one we had today. The wood anemones, celandine, violet, cowslips, primrose, bluebells and wood-orchids are all in bloom... sadly of course you never see them all together, but it is common for the orchids and bluebells to bloom in close proximity and for bluebells to be found with wood anemones too.

English Bluebells

English Bluebells are quite different from the Spanish Bluebells that are colonising many areas and in my eyes are preferable simply because they are native. I'm not saying I dislike the Spanish variety of course, I just wish there was some control over the ever-growing population.

Wood Orchid and English Bluebell

I may be a trifle odd, but I really do enjoy seeing beds of celandine despite the majority of people regarding them as weeds to be avoided at all costs.

Celandine

  Tilly says she doesn't care about the flowers... she prefers her walking snacks!

Just gimme the biscuits!

To me though the flower beds make the woods an even nicer place to walk during the Spring and early Summer months.

Bluebells among the trees

Bound and drowned, but not beaten

Walking with Tilly along the Severn flood plain this morning and simply had to capture a couple of images of this piece of flotsam...

Ivy-bound tree

I just love the way ivy had bound this old tree, no doubt helping suck the life out of it. However having fallen and been floating around in the Bristol Channel for lord knows how long, the tree has finally washed up on the Welsh side of the Estuary where new life is slowly taking over.

New life takes hold

I find I am always impressed with the way Nature works... in this case the ivy having made perfect footholds for new plant growth. Neat, eh?

Poppies

I thought these were over for the season, but I'm very happy to see I was wrong. There is something about wild poppies that always brings a smile to my face.

Wild Poppies