Harbingers of spring

My first visit to DENR for many months. Its a place I love but I have had to work through depression and somehow I thought that going there would tint the place with the pervasive sadness that I felt and the pain that caused it. So it was wonderful today when the sun shone at lunchtime to feel that at last I could go to this special place. And I was not disappointed and the visit made me feel that these harbingers of spring are signs that the season is indeed turning and sunnier, brighter days are around the corner. And it dawned on me that by this time next month I should be able to gaze at a damselfly or two...............wow!

Spring ....at last

It has been a long dark winter of ill health and unwellness. But spring has arrived and so we gathered our energy and strolled in the sunshine at Regents Park- a time to see the heronry and get close with these fantastic birds. It was strange to hear parakeets calling and see the flashes of green as they flew by. It was a real treat as was the stroll along the canal to Camden Lock and onwards to St Pancras. And toay I found some words that sound just right

I marvel at the way that hope keeps breaking thorugh; It is the Life in me that keeps on reenacting Resurrection. So be it.

Brackets, shields and darters

 Its good to have a little while this evening to look through some of the photos from my more recent ambles. The autumn sun has meant that there is still a lot to see, and DENR is as lovely as ever. Went along to see if the dragonflies were still about on Friday and went to sit at a favourite spot and the log I often perch on had come to life- covered with these beautiful funghi - I think they are bracket funghi but have very limited knowledge about these. But it was to be a good dragon day - two migrant hawkers on the wing over the pond and in between bouts of driving one another off theyspent their time hawking and munching on the wing.

 It was good to see common darters on three different ponds. Its quite fun to watch - the sun comes out and there are flashes of red as the darters appear out of the vegetation and then are everywhere for a few moments, and then the sun goes behinda  cloud and they disappear. It had been a cold night so it was a thrill to see them. It made me a bit sentimental to think that one of them will suddenly be alone, the last of its kind for this season.

And enjoying the sun was this green shield bug - Palomera Prasina, aka the green stink bug for the scent it leaves. These are common and as autumn goes on will darken in colour before hibernating as an adult over the winter. They live on plant sap and have a penchant for hazel. Reading their life story was quite fascinating, egg to adult in 6 weeks and then asleep for a whole winter before starting the circle of life again next year. Looking forward to seeing them then. 

More sun please!

Late summer dragons

 I had a tremendous week away in the sunny IOW and need to sort my photos out a bit more from that sojourn but it was good to spend a fair bit of time walking in the lovely countryside and on the coast. It made me think I would like to live by the sea and we did have a bit of time looking at houses on the internet on our return. That may be a dream and it needs to rest a bit, and I am not entirely sure which coast or where I would chose so dream it probably is! 

But yesterday was a lovely sunny day so I strolled in the local countryside to remind myself why I like around here! Its always easy to think the grass is greener but I think the attraction is a simpler life as well as the sea and country!

But yesterday was thrilling with several common darters and a handful of migrant hawkers. Mostly the migrants were hawking above ponds and snacking as they did so, as if they know the sunshine may soon give way to colder, even frostier days. I did see several dragonflies in the IOW - a southern hawker, migrants, and both common and ruddy darters, and it got me thinking about dragons and salt water- something I need to look up, but I am aware that some can even tolerate their larval stage in salt or brackish water.

And I had the moth trap out and not many moths but this nice barred sallow and an orange underwing were there with even more daddy long legs.

Its a busy time these next few weeks but I am looking forward to sorting my summer photos - the dragons, the flowers, the birds, and moths. They will tell an interesting story. But a little more summer would be nice............

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............