scilly – Grantham Ecology

2018 in Trees

January 8, 2019January 21, 2019Grantham EcologyLeave a comment

It might sound simple, but trees are without doubt one of the things which makes me happiest in this world. Their architectural limbs during winter; that joyous first flush of green in the springtime; the cacophony of life they support in the summer and the glowing hues of autumn – all through the year they can lift the spirit into their boughs. Here are a few of my favourite photographs from 2018.

sxdu9712 — This photograph shows the veins in a lime seed wing with the tree in the background – I love the echo beteen the parent tree and the wing which will take its tiny progeny to a new place to germinate.

wlmf9804 — We walked the Peddar’s Way in spring this year – from Thetford all the way to the coast at Holme next the Sea. The green tracks with overarched by mature trees were a joy to walk beneath.

xwwg7045 — Another photograph taken along the Peddar’s Way – I love the imagery of the broadleaf trees with lances drawn against the arrayed army of conifers in the plantation; however these are more likely a stress response to the intense shading of the industrial plantation.

pxce5269 — Scilly is one of the places in the UK where elms have held out against Dutch Elm disease – likely primarily due to their relative isolation from the mainland. This was taken of young growth in the centre of St Mary’s

wgkl1241 — This photograph was taken in mid-summer but the fallen lime wings made it look as though autumn had come early. This green arched footpath leads down towards Sedgewick Meadows in Grantham

prdf1062 — Limes seem to have figured highly in my photographs this year – this is a lime avenue in a Northamptonshire Estate where we undertook tree climb & inspect surveys one misty morning in autumn

lvrx2722 — One of my favourite trees in Richmond Park which brings back memories of my dissertation there many years ago – the Royal Oak is estimated to be 750 years old!

evor9108 — The silver birch is a typical pioneer tree species of Sherwood, well suited to the sandy, heathy soils. These were taken as the bracken leaves browned in November.

clko1328 — Whilst obviously not a fan of the inert conifer plantations which pass for ‘woods’ in too many places, there is an undeniable beauty to their straight, uniform structures especially when the light is right!

It’s hard to beat the light in a beechwood in early Autumn – beech rarely form seminatural woodlands in the midlands and north of the country but it didn’t stop the directors of Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves from depicting this site (Burnham Beeches) as Sherwood Forest!

An amazing old stump amongst the holly and green in Burnham Beeches – you need to stand beside it to appreciate quite how large this structure is!

A wonderfully figurative tree at Burnham Beeches back at the beginning of autumn when the leaves were just about to turn…

2018 in Wildflowers

December 28, 2018January 19, 2019Grantham EcologyLeave a comment

As anybody who follows my twitter feed will know, wildflowers are a constant source of inspiration and fascination for me. Here are a few of my favourite finds from 2018

FKEU6697 — This tiny forget-me-not is called changing forget-me-not because of the way the petal colour changes as the flowers mature – they start off yellow/cream and brighten to blue in time

SYJC9411 — Red campion is a common wildflower in the midlands, especially in shady habitats like hedgerows and woodland edges. It can be a beautifully architectural plant

PHMS4033 — Wood sorrel is a woodland wildflower of early spring – this was taken in the Quantock Hills in a pine plantation.

VKRS5149 — Wood anemone are a characteristic indicator of ancient woodland – spreading at a rate of only a few metres per year, they are testement to the continuity of the habitat

ELLM5983 — Green winged orchids are one of the first to flower in the spring – I am lucky enough to live very close to Muston Meadows which has a stunning display each year

DEMF9746 — An ancient woodland in South Wales rewarded me with herb paris this year – the first time I’ve seen this species in perfect flower in the UK

FSYT1381 — Pasque flowers are a real rarity these days, but are emblamatic enough to be the designated County Flower of two different counties in England. This one taken at Barnack Hills and Holes NNR

JVRC6199 — A sea of English Bluebells with a mighty fallen oak branch to lend character to the sunlit scene

OMEK8236 — Oxlip is one of our rarest wildflowers – the ancient woodland of Hayley Wood near Cambridge is one of the best places to enjoy them amongst the bluebells

BWBX9330 — There can be few sights more synonymous with springtime that the white of greater stitchwort and the bright blue of the bluebell amongst the fresh green leaves

EUVX4196 — The limestone grasslands which punctuated the Peddar’s Way in May rewarded us with these salad burnet – tiny red stars set within a globular flower head

FEKJ0714 — A trip to see the fly orchids in Bedford Purleius NNR has become something of an annual tradition now – they never fail to delight!

JWXG2736 — A new species for me this year and a wonderful treasure hunt to find it – violet helleborine in Bedford Purleuis NNR

BSQT8448 — Small but stunning – the arable flora on St Mary’s, Scilly away from the industrial scale agriculture of the mainland meant a host of scarce arable wildflowers persist, such as this small-flowered catchfly

MXEM3555 — Yellow bartsia – a relative of yellow rattle and eyebright – was another first for me on the Isles of Scilly

LNOZ7092 — Pale toadflax established on a railway arch near the Thames

VYSS5123 — Black nightshade is a member of the same family as potato and tomato and could be found flowering right up until Christmas!

Wild snake’s head fritillaries flowering in Portholme Meadow, Huntingdon

Cowslips flowering along the cycle path which passes along the Grantham Canal in early springtime

Harebell flowering in the dry grasslands in the meadows above Grantham

Early purple orchid amongst the bluebells and greater stitchwort flowers in a woodland edge in Lincolnshire