October 16th – Autumn is in full swing now. As I cycled down Green Lane from Shelfield to Bullings Heath, the golden hour pre-sunset sunlight caught the hedgerow and set it afire. It was so lovely, I had to stop and take a photo.
Maybe this autumn thing can work out after all…
September 4th – Spotted in the hedgerow near the top of Shire Oak Hill at Sandhills, I caught sight of this bright yellow flower. It’s an awful photo, but I’m hoping someone can ID this bright, late bloom. I’ve seen a few about, but have no idea what it might be…
August 28th – For some reason today, my photos were all really rubbish and these are the best of a rum lot, so my apologies. These yellow flowers are dotting the hedges and canal banks at the moment. Colloquially called ‘butter and egg’ they are common toadflax, often mistaken for snapdragons (which I did, last year). They’re a lovely, dainty little flower and make a change from the predominantly dark tones of most of the flowers around at this time of year.
August 20th – another fruit that’s set to be in abundance this autumn are haws, the berries of the hawthorn. Bright red, bitter and woody, they’re not toxic and can make decent jams and wines; but to me, their primary purpose is to provide sustenance for the birds, who flock for their goodness in winter. At the moment, these copious tiny berries are orange-green, and these fine examples were spotted in the hedgerow at Green Lane.
Enough sun and they’ll be pillar-box red, another fine sight and indicator of the passing year.
June 10th – A day of pottering around on errands and short journeys, during which I spotted these lovely huge poppies growing in the hedgerow in Hall Lane, Walsall Wood. They look too large to be native, and think they must be garden escapees. But whatever their origin, they’re very, very beautiful. A joy to the heart.
June 5th – The wildflowers (and not so wild) are arriving and making their presence felt in hedgerows and gardens. Everything from lobelia to forget-me-not, rhododendron to laburnam are all showing beautifully. This is the English countryside at it’s best. Get out and enjoy it while you can.
April 15th – Green shoots. Nature got fed up of waiting, and kicked the season’s arse. And… we’re off. Magical.
That’s all.
August 24th – I have no idea what this flower is, but there’s a small clump of them growing in the hedgerow, at Hollyhill Lane, just outside Shenstone. Beautifully bright in a rain shower on a grey afternoon, just the antidote to a miserable, wet commute home.
Anyone any ideas what it might be?
July 7th – I noticed this plant – a climber of sorts – growing over a hedgerow near Hammerwich. I’d been to Lichfield, and was taking the scenic route back. I don’t recognised the flowers or foliage. It’s quite pretty in an understated way. Anyone got any ideas?
June 15th – It’s the time of year that the poppies bloom, often as pictured here, in fields of oilseed rape. The beautiful red makes for a dramatic contrast with the background yellow-green substrate. This field, at Lower Stonnall, is rather gorgeous.
The image of the hedge-line also demonstrates the importance of hedgerows in combating soil erosion. The old guys who planted those knew exactly what they were doing.
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