August 2nd – A rushed day where I was dashing from one place to another at seemingly top speed with little time to take photos – but I did meet this lithe, classy grey fellow in Clayhanger, very unimpressed with my camera as I stopped to fuss him on my return from seeing a mate.
I’m not seeing so many cats about at the moment, which is a puzzle. But this fellow was splendid, if a little snooty…
July 31st – One thing I am noticing this year is the huge fruit harvest. From blackberries to pears, from rowan berries to crab apples the hedgerows and woods this year are offering a wonderful bounty.
This crab apple tree near Clayhanger is burdened with a massive amount of apples that will sadly rot on the ground – not enough people making hedgerow jelly or wine these days I guess.
July 30th – Working late at a remote site, I came back through Birmingham and Shenstone to hit the homeward commute just as a beautiful sunset unfolded across the landscape.
One of the joys of late summer is it’s the season of the sunset, and it was a cracker. There were the earliest hints in the way the sinking, golden sun caught the thick, rolling clouds, and it ended in a banded crimson sky that made the homecoming skyline of Ogley Hay magical.
I’m so glad I caught this.
July 30th – Nipping out of work in the earl m morning on a cafe run, passing a familiar patch of waste ground, I finally found something I’ve been looking for for a few weeks without luck; a robin’s pincushion gall.
This hairy mass on dog and wild roses is, like the knopper and marble galls on oaks, an insect gall; a tiny wasp lays eggs by injecting them into a leaf-bud surrounded by DNA corrupting chemicals that cause this odd growth to form rather than a leaf.
Beneath the bristles, there’s a solid ball of plant matter with cavities within which the larva grow and develop in safety; when ready, like other galls, they eat their way to freedom and adulthood.
The gall doesn’t harm the plant at all. It’s a remarkable thing.
July 25th – The thistles are still in flower, but now going over to seed too. This is great for many songbirds like goldfinches who like to eat the seeds, which are spread from the seed heads by the breeze, and to this end are attached to fluffy wind catchers to transport them in the air.
The fluff thistles generate – along with rose bay willowherb, or old man’s beard which is also in seed at the moment, was always called ‘fairies’ when I was a kid, and it was considered lucky to catch a ‘fairy’ on the wind.
They are actually rather beautiful.
July 24th – Also coming on to show well right now are the rosehips – the fruit of the rose flower, either the dog rose, or the feral scopes that dot the hedgerows, canal towpaths and footpaths of the area.
I love the variety of textures, colours and shapes.
They bring a second splash of welcome colour when the rose flowers themselves have decayed for another year…
July 21st – In a slow potter back through Walton, Croxall, Edingale, Darlaston and Whittington the sunset was gorgeous, make better by some really great cloud formations.
The Trooper at Wall always looks great at night, too.
Couldn’t help notice though that the darkness is now coming on earlier and earlier. Autumn will soon be tapping me on the shoulder…
July 21st – After rising the Barton Gate steam rally, I pottered over to Dunstall and road the track from Barton Gate up to the village. A lovely run, it gives the very best views of a really pretty, little known village on the hill above Barton under Needwood.
A lovely, mellow Saturday evening was really enjoyable – not pushing it, just ambling and stopping to smell the flowers.
A great restorative for mind and spirit.
July 20th – One flower that’s doing particularly well at the moment is purple loosestrife. I see it mainly by the canals but is seems fairly widespread.
This short but vivid examples were growing from the canal bracing rail by Catshill Junction and are absolutely divine.
July 15th – It was a gorgeous, mellow golden hour that caught the dry grass, hedgerows and crops safely afire. I was interested to see the sun rays from behind the clouds as I laboured back up over Barracks Lane. They put one in mind of a child’s drawing of the sun. I’ve never seen that before.
We’re having some remarkable weather lately.
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