April on the Southwell Trail - Part 2

The fine weather in April dazzled the blossom along the trail with the clear blue skies providing a perfect backdrop for the snowy white blooms.

Most abundant were the blackthorn flowers, although some might be the thornless damson, it is hard to tell from photographer alone. Others include cherry blossom and a wild pear which I will attempt to separate below, however, my aim wasn’t to make accurate identifications, it was simply to enjoy the early spring spectacle.

Blackthorn:

Cherry blossom:

Wild Pear blossom:

 

Return to the Southwell Trail (October 2018)

At this time last year I started documenting the seasonal changes on the Southwell Trail. Initially I was only going to cover one season but ended up completing the whole year.

When we returned from our recent holiday to Lanzarote I was undecided about continuing the series for a second year. I didn't want to repeat the same format but recognised that I could improve on some of year's results, particularly as much of last October was grey and wet.

In addition, the trail photography and the walking has become a healthy habit. Having tracked my steps, I have walked further and more often in the last year with a corresponding drop in body weight. I also find it uplifted when I see small seasonal changes to the trees, flowers, crops and general weather conditions - the snow last year was fantastic for the photography. At times when improving physical and mental health are in the news, I can thoroughly recommend the benefits of camera walks.

With that in mind, these are some of the early autumn shots from the Southwell Trail picking out some of the subtle changes in leaf colour:

I also captured some autumnal fruit and berries including: a ripe wild pear, some dogwood berries, and a wide angle shot with a variety of berries (e.g. rose hips and hawthorn 'haws'):

 

Spring on the Southwell Trail - Part 17 (June 2018)

The theme for this selection from the Southwell Trail is a combination of leaves, the colour green, and tree identification. As I stated in my previous post it was becoming more difficult to photograph the trail itself due to the dense foliage and some bright highlights. The constrasty nature of the results didn't appeal too much and, unlike the winter shots where I thought there was still some variety in the photographs, the late spring compositions started to look very similar.

The alternative to the wide landscapes, was close-up work and the details of the trail at this time of the year, starting with compositions of hawthorn, oak, and possibly hornbeam leaves. I am still not sure about the hornbeam and I am basing my identification on the serrated edges of the leaves. Earlier in the season I photographed a catkin which I thought was hornbeam and now I am waiting to see if I can spot its winged fruit known as samaras.

I did spot a variety of winged fruit or helicopter seeds during June and I started to investigate the differences between them. In doing so I came across a great guide on the Woodland Trust website. They use the shapes of famous people's moustaches as fun way to identify the different seeds. For example:

1) The field maple or the Clark Gable:

2) Sycamore or Frank Zappa

3) And one that made me laugh - the ash tree or ? as "no one's quite sure who the ash seedling looks like"

Other tree fruit I spotted included:

Horse chestnut:

Blackthorn sloes:

Wild cherries:

Wild pear:

Some insects:

Red soldier beetle

Scorpion fly (I think)

Finally, there was lots of sunny weather during the early part of June and only enough rain to dampen the leaves on one particular day: