Tag: wednesbury

September 15th – With some damper weather, the fungus is coming on well, and few better places to spot it than the relatively undisturbed verges of industrial estates.`This venerable specimen was spotted in Wednesbury, and seems quite old, although it does appear to be growing. About the size of a small plate, it’s fascinating, and also a home for lots of bugs.

It looks like some kind of lactarius and was part of a fair-sized group.

September 7th – The weather is fine and warm at the moment, with little wind. Commenting this week has been a joy, and nowhere better to enjoy it than Kings Hill Park in Darlaston.

I took a detour just to see it – from the wonderful view of the twin sisters of Wednesbury to the lovely sculpture and tree-shaded, sun dappled walkways it’s a lovely calm oasis on the border of two great Black Country towns – Darlaston and Wednesbury.

Sad it’s not better known, really.

August 30th – Today was a great day to be zipping about the Black Country on my bike, seeing people I needed to see, The streets, the urban architecture, the market at Tipton.

 It all glistened like a jewel in the sun.

I said there would still be fine days to come and I wasn’t wrong. Yet again, my beloved Black Country lifted my spirits and filled me with a sense of belonging.

These are the places I love.

July 29th – I’m not entirely sure what this plant is spotted growing near Wednesbury. It’s like cow parsley, with a flat flowerhead made of many tiny little flowers, but it’s way too short, and with a curious seed head.

There’s absolutely loads of it along the fences and verges here. Can anyone identify it?

June 15th – Noticed on a grass verge in Wednesbury, this fine crop of toadstools.I think they’re roundheads, but I didn’t have time to study them closely. But you know you’re advancing through summer when the shrooms are out.

I love to see fungus – such a fascinating, misunderstood part of the ecosystem.

April; 20th – In Wednesbury, cherry blossom against an azure blue sky, one of the finest sights of spring, and a very long time coming this year, it seems.

I adore the sight of the thousands upon thousands of pink-white flowers, the confetti of their falling petals on the breeze and the sweet scent as one passes by.

So nice to have the sun back. Let’s hope it warms cup a bit soon.

April 14th – Another sign of spring is the roadsalt-loving Danish scurvy grass in bloom. This odd little plant has moved onto highway fringes normally burned and hostile due to winter gritting – but this wee plant loves the salt, and thrives.

This gives a lovely white fringe to roads, motorways and dual carriageways throughout the country at this time of year.

No matter how hostile an environment, nature always finds a way to exploit it.

April 5th – I noted from the local news reports today that these old derelict buildings on Park Lane on the Darlaston/Wednesbury border are now scheduled for demolition and replacement with new housing – not before time, either: they’ve been derelict for as long as I can remember; an eyesore, they’re of no historic value whatsoever and in times of a housing shortage, their replacement is long overdue.

What is interesting – and I’d never noticed it before until @thestymaster commented today on Twatter about it – the old garage sign here is a bit of an antique, but it has sadly seen better days.

April 5th – It was quite clear from the view over to Wednesbury from where I pulled over to answer a call in Kings Hill that Bill’s Mother now lived that way on – it was looking mighty black over there. 

The sunlight that remained, though, caught the twin sisters a mile away and reminded me why I love this most urban of views.

A real Black Country vista.