A Noon Fly in the Afternoon

This rather handsome fly caught my eye as I was picking blackberries which have ripened early this year, helped by so much rain in July!

The orange in the base of its wings helps to identify it, and I have been learning how it loves to sunbathe (when there is any sun around!) and how its life cycle is inextricably linked with cattle.

There were plenty of cows around too on the afternoon I saw this particular noon fly, lazily enjoying their summer pasture next to the Severn just outside Shrewsbury. Sand martins zoomed and peeped up and down the river acrobatically, but it was the noon fly, beautifully posed on top of its nearly-ripe blackberry, that was the day’s photographic star of the show!

A Fluttering Work of Art

We all recognise a tortoiseshell butterfly, large or small, but so often they don’t sit still long enough for a good photo-op!

When I had the chance to photograph one up close recently – whilst out walking south of Craven Arms in Shropshire – I realised how much I had missed because I had never properly looked closely before beyond recognising what species it was.

I had never seen the blue markings around the wings, or the delicate hairs around its fragile body. I hadn’t really noticed the black spots on the inner orange area of the wings. I hadn’t noticed how the yellow stripes on the front of the wings becomes a turquoise stripe near the tip.

“The predictable turns into surprise the moment we stop taking it for granted”
David Steindl-Rast

Have a look the next time one of these fluttery works of art settles long enough to allow you to, and see what you notice!

On Wenlock Edge

Wenlock Edge can be a magical place but the magic is not always obivous. I have only recently started discovering its hidden beauties, startled on a recent walk by this Muntjack Deer who suddenly appeared on the path ahead of me, looking as surprised as I was!

In the summer, the sunny fields crossed by the many paths up to Wenlock Edge itself are a place of butterflies and wildfowers – a small skipper and a gatekeeper stayed still long enough for good shots:

Even a commonplace dandelion clock looked magical in the summer sunshine…

The Glorious Marmalade Fly, on Wenlock Edge

I did not know there was such a think as a marmalade fly, but I have discovered “iNaturalist”, an app which allows you to upload photos, suggests an identification for the insect / plant / bird you have photographed, and then real human beings confirm that the AI is right!

So I was walking on Wenlock Edge, and caught sight of some beautiful, colourful thistles, with some even more beautiful “hover flies” (as I would usually call them).

As you can see, it has the most beautiful striped body of “marmalade” orange, black and white, before you get to those wonderful, velvety eyes and the delicate wings.

An upload and a search, and “marmalade fly” was suggested to me. Apparently it is our most common hoverfly (out of up to 270 species in the UK!) and is commonly seen, all year round, in sunny woodlands, gardens and parks. Some even migrate here to join the happy hovering crowd!

So the next time you’re walking and your eye is caught by a hovering insect, stop for a moment and take a closer look to see if you have also found one of these colourful, banded beauties, the glorious marmalade fly!

Intimate Family Moments

I love encountering the ponies that graze on the Long Mynd. Recently I was present early one morning at what seemed like an extended family gathering…

A mother and foal bonded peacefully in the morning sun…

I sat quietly absorbed by the way that the light highlighted and shadowed each pony’s beauty…

They had nothing particularly to do except graze and just be in this magical place.

Greenness is All About Us

Greenness is all about us in nature, and especially so in Shropshire now that summer is here!

This poem I think is self-explanatory, and the photo of The Wrekin, seen from The Lawley, tries to capture a landscape full of so many different shades of green!

The greenness is all about me

growth exploding

from the silent being

of the earth

where mysteries are daily enacted

Encounter with the root of life

searching deeper

stretching higher

towards the clouds

that call insubstantially

from a beautiful blue heaven.

Beauty and Charm

Canada goslings are not so often seen as the familiar Canada geese, the UK’s largest goose and common along the River Severn in Shropshire. They’re not native and were first introduced in the 17th century in St. James’ Park, London.

Although familiarity might make us take them for granted, I find it a special thrill to come across a family with goslings, when suddenly their beauty and charm comes alive.

Wildmoor Pool on the Long Mynd is, as the name suggests, a wild and secluded place, and Canada Geese have successfully raised goslings for the last two years at least…

I had only a few weeks previously just recently recorded Canada goslings at Venus Pool outside Shrewsbury…

It’s good see one species doing so well in Shropshire.

A Miracle Has Taken Place!

An every day miracle!

This is a line in a Mary Oliver poem about birds’ eggs hatching in her neighbourhood:

“And just like that, like a simple
neighbourhood event, a miracle is
taking place.”
from ‘This Morning’

I was lucky enough to be able to take these photographs of two Canada geese with their gorgeous goslings at Venus Pool recently.

As they wandered to the water’s edge, it really looked like they were embarking on the day’s swimming lesson!

Venus Pool is such a beautiful site, and many everyday miracles take place there every day!

The Darkness Opening Into Morning

Mary Oliver wrote these beautiful lines:

“…the darkness opening into morning
Is more than enough…

Think of Sheba approaching
the kingdom of Solomon.
Do you think she had to ask,
‘Is this the place?'”
from ‘I wake close to morning’

I find dawn a wonderful, magical time in Shropshire, at all times of year. This photo of The Wrekin was taken one early morning in August. Now it is May there is are the countless songs and calls of the birds’ daily dawn chorus.

As she says – “more than enough”!

The Wrekin at Dawn

The Bluebell

There’s something about the blueness of bluebells that goes right to the heart.

I’ve been visiting some of the best local woods for bluebells since late April, and now in the second week of May they seemed to have reached their peak.

We have somewhere between a quarter and a half of the world’s bluebells in the UK, and each flower can take 5 years to grow from its bulb. And Ann Bronte wrote this lovely poem about this wonderful wild flower:

“A fine and subtle spirit dwells
In every little flower,
Each one its own sweet feeling breathes
With more or less of power.
There is a silent eloquence
In every wild bluebell
That fills my softened heart with bliss
That words could never tell…”
from ‘The Bluebell’ by Ann Bronte