Funghi and dragons

 A short interlude at Duck End was well worthwhile. The sun was not strong and I realised that soon I will need a fleece or cardigan when I go strolling but today it was good although truely the season is now Autumn. I had only just parked in the lane when two migrant hawkers buzzed me and today I saw 5 of these late flyers. One was kinf enough to perch a while for a photograph.

I looked closely around the pond and in the grasses and found one very weak immature emerald damselfly (female) but it was good too when an emerald flew in front of me over the water, but only two now.

But there were several common dartersm many darting and eating tiny insects but then taking a rest on a log or on the tufts of grass.

 An unexpected pleasure today was the number of funghi that have sprouted. I know little about these and have just read that they are neither plant nor animal. I have taken a few shots and it will be good to see if I can identify them although I suspect it will be a learning curve like with the moths, a need to get an eye for shape, size and even smell. Apparently funghi are sometimes called the 5th kingdom- the other four being animals, plants, bacteria and protozoa- the last I know nothing of at all but they include slime moulds!

So something to get reading and learning about and maybe I will be able to go along on a funghi foray and get to know more- sounds like a good time of year to get interested too,

The kestrels kingdom

 My camera finally came home after its extra sojourn in Cornwall without me and it has been good to look at the photos from my holiday in Cornwall. I had not been there for years and had forgotten how beautiful it is. I really loved the north coast wiht its cliffs and sheer drops, the whoel ruggedness of the landscape. Lands End- well it has to be visited once but its a bit like a second rate theme park with some fairly run down attractions but it is still wonderful to stand there and look at the sign and imagine whats out there.

 Cornwall has so many stunning gardens and Trellithic (spelling?) was stunning even in late summer. The number of different shades of green alone was beautiful along with the shapes and vistas. There were some fantastic plants and I fell in love with the soft colours and petals of this lacewing hydrangea.Not at all overpowering like the mophead but delicate and wistful, sighs of a bygone age, planted by a gardener long gone.

 And the one suneshiney day spent dragon hunting - and I was not disappointed. Finding Ventongimps Moor Nature Reserve was only slightly easier than finding a needle in a haystack, but worth the persistence. David is used to this determination so happily listened to his Ipod whilst I did some mud walking and came back truely looking like the long lost creature from the bog but it was so worth it - several of the beautiful golden-ringed dragonflies on the wing, plus ruddy darters, and by the stream the beautiful demoiselle. Wonderful and its good to get messy.

 And from a cliff top great views of this little cove - a protected place for the grey seal. There were 70/80 of these strnage animals lying on the beach and a few bobbing about in the ocean. They included many young and it was special to stand and just watch them.

 But a real highpoint in more ways than the cliff top was for this most beautiful kestrel to come flying in and perch so near to me as I watched the seals. I have never seen one so close up and observed the loveliness of its colours. It is a wonderful bird and I am so pleased with this photo. Its not the closest photo of the bird but shows him perched high on the cliff face looking out proudly across his kingdom,  bright eyes keen and intelligent, and so alert. What a brilliant experience to feel the vibrancy of life from this handsome creature.

Autumn damsels and darters

 Lunch was a leisurely hour in the sunshine with two old friends of mine but before we met up I grabbed a few moments by the ponds at MVCP.  I love the purple michelmas daisies - a kind of North American aster I think. Timely flowers as it will be michelmas in a couple of weeks time when we celebrate the feast of the archangels. A real sign that autumn is with us and the months moving on. Can't say that I like autumn- the colours yes, the fruits on the trees yes, even the mists, but it is a sign that summer has gone and winter will be here too soon. I really love the spring most of all - a season of freshness and expectation. But no gloom today the sun was out, good friends putting the world right, laughing lots and a nice lunch.

 

By the ponds I saw several common and ruddy darters and watched with some pleasure the migrant hawker as he flew back and forth over the ponds snacking as he went.

And then a late afternoon stop at DENR. Again the signs of autumn were obvious, not least the wonderful aroma of apples that were both on the trees and the ground, the blackberries still glossy and purple and a few butterflies still on the wing. It was good to see the butterflies having just read that the recent weather had killed off many of these fragile creatures.  Had the wrong shoes on really as the reserve was quite wet underfoot and my camera has not yet caught up with me from its sojourn in Cornwall, but I had my pocket camera and managed to take some shots of the 6 emerald damselflies all perching around the long pond. They were all very still and almost torpid, probably an indication that this is the very end of the season for these prettiest of damselflies.

A restless migrant hawked over the pond and nearly made lunch of a tomato red ruddy darter. Sadly I also found this spiders web and the spider had made lunch of a a damselfly and from the bright blue eyeball still in the web a pretty emerald I think. 

I hope my camera will be reunited with me soon so I can look at the dragonfly shots from my recent visit to Cornwall - the striped golden ring being in much evidence. But today was a lovely if tinged with the sadness of autumn coming on, but then too planning for next years dragon forays and maybe even a few more sighting this year yet............