Although it might not feel like it, summer is in full swing. After a very dry start, recent rains have energised mother nature and flowers, insects and animals seem at the very height of their activity. Verges, commons, hedgerows and field margins hum with activity as our wildlife obeys it’s biological imperative. I implore all to get out and enjoy it, for it will be winter again soon enough.
For more photos like these, and a general documentary of a nosey bloke on a bike, check out my #365daysofbiking tumblr blog.
This is, apparently, a Canterbury Bell. They pepper the common, bringing a stunning beauty. Brownhills Common, near Chester Road, 3:19pm, Friday, 17th June 2011.
Red deer hinds at Jockey Meadows, Walsall Wood. Watch out for them when you're driving in Green Lane. Not a whole bunch of road sense in your average red deer. 12:32pm, Thursday, 16th June 2011.
Just after a heavy shower, I spotted this little chap in Bullmoor Lane, near Wall. Snails fascinate me, and this fellow seemed to be on a mission. 3:39pm, Saturday, 18th June 2011.
Honey bee swarm, Brownhills Common. Possibly the most stunning sight I've ever seen. 3:46pm, Friday, 17th June 2011.
For more on the bee swarm, see this post on my #365daysofbiking Tumblr blog.
Pippins ripening in the damp, warm summer air. Like the fruit themselves, bittersweet; this shows the passage of summer to harvest. Hilton, near Lynn, Staffordshire. 4:30pm, Saturday, 18th June 2011.
This is the same snail as the picture above. This intrigued me, he seemed unperturbed at being submerged and I watched him enter the water freely. How do gastropods breathe? 4:40pm, Saturday, 18th June 2011.
Poppies punctuate field margins like bright red exclamation marks - sometimes singly, sometimes in whole armies. They grab your attention and make you wonder at the beauty of nature. Lower Stonnal, Staffordshire 11:35am, Wednesday, 15th June 2011.