Kynance Cove: Day 2 - Photography Week 23 (2016)

The previous evening I had seen a number of interesting wildflowers in Kynance Cove. The light wasn't right to capture these so I decided to make a further visit in brighter conditions. I also wanted to take a closer look at the serpentine rocks on the beach at low tide.

When researching Kyannce Cove for my blog post 7th June 2016, I was aware that it was home to several rare or uncommon species of wildflowers. One mentioned was the Bloody Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum): a reddish purple flower with distinctive red veins and a red style:

Also mentioned was the Burnet Rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia):

Whilst scouting around I captured this more common Tormentil (Potentilla erecta) and a Common Catsear (Hypochaeris radicata):

Thrift (Armeria maritime) is very common on the Cornish cliffs this time of year but this is the first time I had really looked closely at the individual flower heads - beautiful:

Also close to where I took the long exposure the previous day was this Early Purple Orchid (not totally sure on the ID of this one):

Apart from the wildflowers I had an opportunity to walk on the beach at low tide and in particular the tombolo which connects the Asparagus Island to the mainland. Sitting in the middle is the imposing Steeple Rock:

The rocks on the beach are Serpentinite, a rare exposure of the Earth's mantle pushed to the surface 300 million years ago as two continental plates collided. Up close they have a distinctive mottled green and red appearance:

In my previous posts I had challenged the notion of Kynnance Cove being a pretty cove and preferred my description of beauty inspired by the power of nature. Having now spent time on the beach at low tide I can certainly see why visitors flock to this part of the coast on a summer's day - it is pretty. That said, the landscape photographer in me will tend to favour the wilder and more dramatic conditions! 

Penryn Harbour Walk - Photography Week 19 (2016)

In addition to the images of the Andvari, these are a selection of other photographs taken whilst walking from Penryn Harbour towards Flushing.

St Gluvias Cemetery

The harbour path passes through a pine covered cemetery which is part of the historic parish of St Gluvias dating from the 6th century. The chapel and a number of the gravestones date from the mid 19th century:

Dinghies

I passed a number of dinghies lined up on the shoreline and stopped to captured these textures of cracking fibreglass (and a sorry looking one-legged Teddy!):

I often wonder whether images of textures and surfaces have a general appeal. It might be a photographers' (or some photographers') subject only. I certainly get a few curious looks at times and the odd person asking what I am taking pictures of - they seem none the wiser when I explain!

For anyone with an interest I would recommend a great book by Polly O'Neil - Surfaces and Textures - A Visual Sourcebook (A & C Black Publishers, 2008)

Flushing

More surface and texture shots of the workshops on the outskirts of Flushing and a couple of reflections:

Egret & Orchid

I spotted this Egret in Gorrangorras Creek. Even at 400mm it was small in the frame but I was surprised at the sharpness after a large crop. Also nearby was an early purple orchid (Orchis mascula).