June is fast approaching and still it blows a cold wind. For the second year running I am part of a dragonfly survey on Wicken Fen and I just haven't been able to get on to the reserve for the first count due to this run of cold weather. For the survey to take place the climactic conditions have to be just so - minimum of 17C; light winds; strong sun...and we just haven't had that combination down here on any day when I could get out...with June arriving next week I am feeling frustrated to say the least...Saturday? That isn't a shoe-in either...so we wait...
Photographically the week has been both good and not so good...I have been out on the Brecks looking for rarities - which was enjoyable...For those of you who don't know The Brecks or Breckland is an area of East Anglia with a unique habitat - dry, warm sandy and chalky grassland - grazed by rabbits to produce a short sward. This is ideal for insects and a number of rare plants...From the roads it looks bland, but when you get out of the car and have a walk it is a wonderful habitat...if you are in the area it is well worth a visit...
common mouse-ear...
field mouse-ear...
hairy rock-cress...
horseshoe vetch...
above and below - purple milk-vetch...
quaking grass...
sweet cicely...
Not only lovely plants to see...they also have great names... On the same day as my first visit to the Brecks I visited a reserve that is only open one day a year...it is the home of the UK's largest population of military orchids...it was a real privilege to be able to photograph them although this was made tricky by the presence of other people with the same objective and one person who for some reason wanted to film a static orchid and set herself up next to the best specimen in a way that precluded others. I was on site for half an hour or so and she didn't move for that time...I went in, took my pictures and left so to allow others to do the same, shame other people don't do likewise...
It is a delightful plant though... well worth the visit... also on the reserve is a large population of common twayblade - another type of orchid...
Not so showy - but the flower structure is lovely... The two habitats were excellent to visit...and the plants...well see for yourselves!!!
Insect life has also been photogenic this week...with numerous species making an appearance...
azure damselfly...
common blue damselfly...
common blue butterfly - photographed in a shower of rain...makes the light nice and soft...
froghopper - creator of cuckoo-spit...
green-veined white butterfly..
above and below - hawthorn shield bug...
holly blue butterfly ovipositing on holly flowers...
the hoverfly Leucozona lucorum
leaf beetles...
small copper butterfly...
soldier beetle...
spiderlings dispersing from the nest ball...
muslin moth...sheltering amongst grasses...
I have also been working on my monochrome series of British wild flowers - the latest set can be found here... - look for the cow parsley set... Now I have had an interesting week with Dreamstime... (my portfolio from this link) who are now not taking wild flower pictures due to a glut on the market of free images (usually taken by enthusiastic amateurs) - hey competition is good but it would be nice for everyone out there to put their reputation on the line on a daily basis rather than shoot when they feel like it and then give images away, probably for the kudos of seeing their images in print...ALL professionals suffer from this...we have to live with it...but it grates a bit...
Hits on my Flickr site have increased due to sharing images on the BBC Springwatch Group...so if you want you can enjoy my images there as well... The most worrying thing from this week is the collapse of viewers to this blog...I had been steadily building a seemingly loyal readership with hits increasing week by week...suddenly last week these hits vanished... over 50% down on the previous six weeks...if you enjoy this weekly skip through my images pass it around...share it with friends and family...
So, I'm writing this on Friday morning...looking at the rain from my window and wondering how much longer...let's all hope eh...?
See you next week,
TTFN
Photographically the week has been both good and not so good...I have been out on the Brecks looking for rarities - which was enjoyable...For those of you who don't know The Brecks or Breckland is an area of East Anglia with a unique habitat - dry, warm sandy and chalky grassland - grazed by rabbits to produce a short sward. This is ideal for insects and a number of rare plants...From the roads it looks bland, but when you get out of the car and have a walk it is a wonderful habitat...if you are in the area it is well worth a visit...
common mouse-ear...
field mouse-ear...
hairy rock-cress...
horseshoe vetch...
above and below - purple milk-vetch...
quaking grass...
sweet cicely...
Not only lovely plants to see...they also have great names... On the same day as my first visit to the Brecks I visited a reserve that is only open one day a year...it is the home of the UK's largest population of military orchids...it was a real privilege to be able to photograph them although this was made tricky by the presence of other people with the same objective and one person who for some reason wanted to film a static orchid and set herself up next to the best specimen in a way that precluded others. I was on site for half an hour or so and she didn't move for that time...I went in, took my pictures and left so to allow others to do the same, shame other people don't do likewise...
It is a delightful plant though... well worth the visit... also on the reserve is a large population of common twayblade - another type of orchid...
Not so showy - but the flower structure is lovely... The two habitats were excellent to visit...and the plants...well see for yourselves!!!
Insect life has also been photogenic this week...with numerous species making an appearance...
azure damselfly...
common blue damselfly...
common blue butterfly - photographed in a shower of rain...makes the light nice and soft...
froghopper - creator of cuckoo-spit...
green-veined white butterfly..
above and below - hawthorn shield bug...
holly blue butterfly ovipositing on holly flowers...
the hoverfly Leucozona lucorum
leaf beetles...
small copper butterfly...
soldier beetle...
spiderlings dispersing from the nest ball...
muslin moth...sheltering amongst grasses...
I have also been working on my monochrome series of British wild flowers - the latest set can be found here... - look for the cow parsley set... Now I have had an interesting week with Dreamstime... (my portfolio from this link) who are now not taking wild flower pictures due to a glut on the market of free images (usually taken by enthusiastic amateurs) - hey competition is good but it would be nice for everyone out there to put their reputation on the line on a daily basis rather than shoot when they feel like it and then give images away, probably for the kudos of seeing their images in print...ALL professionals suffer from this...we have to live with it...but it grates a bit...
Hits on my Flickr site have increased due to sharing images on the BBC Springwatch Group...so if you want you can enjoy my images there as well... The most worrying thing from this week is the collapse of viewers to this blog...I had been steadily building a seemingly loyal readership with hits increasing week by week...suddenly last week these hits vanished... over 50% down on the previous six weeks...if you enjoy this weekly skip through my images pass it around...share it with friends and family...
So, I'm writing this on Friday morning...looking at the rain from my window and wondering how much longer...let's all hope eh...?
See you next week,
TTFN
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