Flowering Late or Early - Climate Change?

With the lack of frosts and the generally moist and relatively warm conditions, there are lots of wild flowers open in my Cambridgeshire garden that would normally be dormant such as the Red Campion, Dandelion, Primrose, Knapweed, Chicory (a new self-seeded species this year) and Chickweed plus some naturalised species - Linaria, Alkanet and Corydalis. Various garden perennials are still flowering or are starting early like the Jasmine and Erysium (wallflower) while some annuals such as Cosmos and Marigolds are from this year's seeds.

Waterfront Clyde Glasgow

A windy but sunny afternoon for our first walk in Glasgow along the Clyde looking at the new architecture. The autumn colours certainly help the photographs - after this evening's gales, it may not look so good tomorrow.

Willow Emeralds Star at Lackford Lakes

I spent a couple of hours at Lackford Lakes yesterday on my way to lecture to Norwich club and enjoyed multiple sightings of Willow Emeralds bathed in autumn sunlight plus a supporting cast of Common Blue Damselflies, Common Darters,  Dock Bug, Nuthatch and Muntjac.

 

Garden in Autumn

 Definitely the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness in the garden at the moment. This season's very tall growth is providing lots of habitats for insects etc to prepare for winter like this Elephant Hawk Moth, fully fed on the Willowherb and making its way to the soil to hibernate.Still flowers for the Bees and other insects, berries for the birds and, hopefully, some produce for us. The Ivy is in full flower and the hedges amazingly high this year draped with blackberries and White Bryony.