Victoria amazonica
Giant Waterlilies are so fabulous that Kew Gardens built a Waterlily House just to house them. I like the way that Kew …
Bamboo at Kew
The Giant Bamboo at Kew looks like Asparagus to me. They’re both monocotyledonous plants, which means they’ve only got one leaf in …
A load of rubbish
Plastic. It’s everywhere. The only solution is not to produce it in the first place. Much of it seems to be drinks …
Leaves on the Tone
As another leaf heads down the River Tone and is about to swoosh down the weir, I think of all of the …
Yes, I’m still here, waiting
More than a leaf or three have headed down the River Tone as I’ve sat here awaiting the arrival of a Kingfisher …
Woodland gem-studded marvels
It’s 47 years ago today that I first noted down Common Puffballs in my nature notebooks. The tiny gem-like spikes on the …
Leaf boats
Watching autumn leaves float by on the River Tone is hypnotic. It’s almost a fitting seasonal compensation for sitting here for hours …
Autumn leaf
An autumn leaf on the weir on the River Tone. I’ve had a great weekend with my friend Martin in Taunton. We …
‘Tis the season for Shaggy Scalycaps
It’s 47 years today since I first saw Shaggy Scalycaps and wrote about them in blue biro with a pencil sketch in …
Ripples
I’m exploring the north coast of Scotland and it’s stunning. The weather has been wonderful, the people are friendly, the roads well …
Bumbarrels
I can hear the Bumbarrels calling. There’s a distinctive contact call which they use as family groups move from tree to tree. …
Yellow Brain Fungus
There are Gorse bushes here in Emsworthy Mire with Yellow Brain Fungus, Tremella mesenterica, growing on them. Fabulous, isn’t it? It’s a fungus …
Slow Worm
It was the 10th October when I lifted a piece of corrugated iron to see if there might be a reptile still …
Rotten post
Travelling around the Flow Country in the north of mainland Scotland I spotted a post with a lot to say.
Figures in a rainbow
Figures in a rainbow on Dartmoor.
Whoopers
I’ve not seen a Whooper Swan before so it’s a thrill to spot a couple on the Loch of Swartmill. They’re handsome …
Harrying
My favourite sight is a Hen Harrier harrying.
Lookout
Northern Wheatear are powerful birds and migrate to Africa for our winter. It’s astonishing that so soon after being an egg they …
Diving Arctic Tern
Something I enjoyed this summer was taking multiple exposures of some of the bird species on Westray and creating composite images from …
The Flow Country
RSPB Scotland Forsinard Flows is part of Europe’s largest blanket bog. It’s mile after mile of damp, squishy preserved vegetation, in many …
Flatfish
What’s actually happening isn’t what appears to be happening. It’s laughing at the other one’s fish flapping in the wind, isn’t it? …
A family affair
An Arctic Tern family from this summer. I wonder where they are now? I suspect they’ll be somewhere on the way to …
Crab for dinner
Crabs are powerful crustaceans and can give anyone a nasty nip. Eider Ducks, or Dunters as they are known here in Orkney, …
Swallow shuteye
When the sun shines in Orkney, it’s best to make good use of it. This Swallow agreed.
Aerial ballet
I’ve been enjoying reviewing some of my images from Orkney Mainland taken this summer and this one, from a sequence I took …
Dunlin
I love to see Dunlin on the tideline.
Merlin
Every time I see a Merlin it’s a fleeting glance. It’s either only resting for a second before heading off to hunt …
No hedges to hog
There’s a Hedgehog trundling down the lane. I can see it from a distance, so we shelter at the roadside and wait …
Butterfish
It’s great fun to watch Black Guillemots bobbing on the waves off the coast of Westray. And I love it when they …
Singing in the bath
I’m driving along the car-bottom-scraping track to Noup Head. It’s first gear all the way unless I want to have my exhaust …