Scenes of Yesteryear

Well OK, it was yesterday.

Meadow Crane's-bill

The Meadow Crane's-bill (Geranium pratense), a perennial flower which grows to a height of 75cm.

A lot of flora has disappeared now and one of the few nice colours left to be observed is this.

This plant is a meadow flower that blooms from June to August.

It has five petals that range from blue to lilac with the colour change being caused by the ageing process.

It is a variety of a family of flowers that in various forms are also grown in the garden.

Scenes from a Cycle Ride (2)

The concluding part of my latest cycle ride.

A few weeks ago there were dozens of butterflies along this road side. 

Today I couldn't find any.

Hazel nuts. I didn't open one to find out if they were ripe yet, I think its still too early.

The Tractor and the Hare.

Whilst taking shots of this tractor as it travelled up and down this field, I noticed a hare on the bank.

It had been driven (along with another) to the edge of the field by the tractor's activities. 

Could I perhaps get a decent shot of it, bearing in mind that I only had a 70-200mm lens.

I sneaked up the other bank under the cover of tall grass. 

I got this one first.

With the second shot here, you can see it became aware of my presence.

Then it went low into the long grass.

"I can still see you matey."

This is a straight road for two miles. 

Haw berries are visible in the hedgerows everywhere now.

Sloe fruits look great in the sunlight.

This below is a field of dead "Field" beans, which will be ploughed into the ground to provide nitrogen in the soil.

Passing by this water filled old quarry workings I often see a flock of Greylag or Canada geese.

I have previously reported on new arrivals at a field stables that I pass by on a certain route. 

Here is the latest new arrival.

Its a great life (albeit short) being a Pig.

Wild oats.

A female Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum).

Wheat ripened and ready for harvesting.

Hip berries from the Dog Rose.

The road home. 

At this point I have about two miles of countryside and four miles of city to cover.

Scenes from a Cycle Ride (1)

My latest cycle ride last weekend was on the only nice day we have had recently. You can see from this first image below that there are water puddles from the night before.

Blackberries are beginning to ripen now.

I like to carry my 70-200mm lens on cycle rides as it is light and although not great for small birds will produce good results for larger subjects.

This little hump bridge is just before a railway crossing where I usually have to wait for trains to clear. Today I was lucky and got through on arrival.

Acorns are plentiful in this area. These are from the Sessile Oak.

Black Bryony berries.

The Holly Blue butterfly is nearing the end of its "life cycle", a fact that is apparent when you look at this dowdy specimen I found on ivy foliage.

A field of a "late" potato crop.

Sunflowers. Am I back in Tuscany I thought. 

No sorry, just cycling on the fens. 

Each time I pass by this bramble bush there is always a flock of Sparrows and today they were joined by some immature Starlings.

"Dont you just love this crisp hay."

Elderberries.

On the edge of a field this bunch of poppies with the sunlight behind them were just too good to miss taking a shot.