Misty Ancient Woodland

When I woke to fog on Friday morning I thought that I would go to photograph in a Beech Hangar with their straight trunks either at the Gogs or at Royston Heath but then thought why not try to get a similar evocative image in our local ancient woodland. So half an hour later, after a muddy tramp, arrived at Hardwick Wood and was captivated by the knarled twisted branches and orange oak leaves coming through the mist. In other areas there is straight young growth and still some berries. 

Hardwick Wood is one of the West Cambridgeshire Hundreds, a collection of wildlife-rich ancient woodlands in an area defined for over 1000 years by the old Anglo-Saxon regional divisions known as the Cambridgeshire Hundreds. Historical records show that some woods are older than the Domesday book and may go back much earlier. 

12 mm Lens with Close up Filter for Fungi

 Still on my quest for a wide-angle close-up solution, I have managed to attach a close-up filter to my Zeiss 12mm lens and tried some fungi photography in our local Hardwick wood today. Very pleased with the results both wide open at F2.8 (numbers 1 and 8) and other apertures F7.1 (6), F9 (3) F14 (2,4,5,9-11), F16(7)  F22 (12). 

Death of a Tree

This massive oak tree in Hardwick Wood had final succumbed to high winds and fallen but all around it life goes on especially the fungi. A few Wood Blewits and lots of very large Trooping Funnels (Clitocybe geotropa) along with various bracket type species and a small puffball

Infrared View of Hardwick Wood

We are very lucky during this Lockdown to have Hardwick Wood in our walking area. It has many mature trees with the Ivy stems creating magical shapes and lots of spring flowers, including several extensive areas of Wild Garlic. I didn't see the little cricket on the Celandine when I took the photo - it obviously doesn't absorb any infrared through its chitinous outer skin. Canon 1D MkI converted to infrared, 50 mm lens at 2.2mm.

Bluebell Time in Hardwick Wood

I am so lucky that my local walking area includes a large woodland area, at this time, a carpet of bluebells. There are a few Early Spotted Orchids in flower among the bluebells.