American Cemetery Cambridge

The autumn colours on the maples and other trees at Madingley War Cemetery are developing well though many leaves have not yet turned. The green intensity is reduced in full-spectrum photography giving a hint of what is to come if the winds stay away.

Sunset Walk to Hardwick Wood

I walk up to and explore Hardwick wood  on average once a week - the terrain is unusually hilly for Cambridgeshire so there are always enjoyable views with wide skies and at around 3.5miles round trip fulfils my daily exercise quota. Yesterday I did the walk later in the afternoon so the sun set as I was in the wood giving a dramatic setting for the large number of fungi there at the moment including large Geotropes (Clitocybe geotrope) and Parasols

Toft Meadow Fungi and Flies

Although I sometimes think it would have been great to have lived in more places in my life, there is something wonderful about exploring the same area for so many years - Toft Great Meadow never fails to reveal a new species or a new aspect of the scenery. Yesterday I decided to record the various fungi there including this Petticoat Mottlegill - aptly named with its lacy cap. The recent rains have cut away at Bourn Brook banks giving some excellent vertical surfaces for next season's Kingfisher nests.

Lichens at RPSB Sandy

As often happens when I am out with my camera, I got fixated on the variety of lichens growing on the sandy soils in the reserve. Not great quality images as they are all very small and these in-camera stacks don't give enough depth of field in most cases as it is restricted to 8 shots. I will return and try again taking 20+ stacks to process in the computer. There were lots of ladybirds and very very small spiders (Mangora acalypha)

Toadstools from Sandy Bedfordshire

With all the recent rain and relatively mild temperatures, the fungi are abundant everywhere including RSPB Sandy. We had a very enjoyable day there yesterday with only one shower when we needed to shelter. Here some of the Toadstools; smaller fungi and lichens to follow!