Ramsons

The bluebells are past their best, as are the white-flowered ramsons that often accompany them. When I was young the Yorkshire Dales name for this plant was "stinking onions". Over the years I have increasingly heard them referred to as "wild garlic", and there are those who advocate picking them and using them in cooking, perhaps encouraged by this less derogatory name.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Chiffchaff

There are several onomatopoeic bird names, that is to say, names based on the call of the species. Cuckoo is probably the best known but curlew, peewit (a country name for the lapwing), jackdaw and kittiwake immediately spring to mind. So too does chiffchaff, a small warbler, a harbinger of spring named for its call that for the past couple of weeks has accompanied our daily walks.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Primulas and colours

There are many colours that take their name from flowers, and those flowers are the reference point for the particular tint of that colour. Violet, lilac, mustard and saffron spring to mind. So too does primrose, the wild example being Primula vulgaris, a pale yellow flower that appears in the spring. Plant breeders have bred from the wild primrose to produce primulas of a vast range of colours. We were in a garden centre recently and I photographed theses examples on sale. As I took in the range of colours I noticed there was none exhibiting the colour of the wild variety and I reflected that, to my mind, its subtle yellow outshines all its derivatives.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Thinking about crocuses

click image to enlarge

I don't often think about crocuses. I see them when the flower buds begin opening in February. I notice when the house sparrows have been pulling them apart. And, as large and small drifts of the flowers appear in lawns and borders, I observe their often untidy appearance as those past their best stand alongside the more recent.  But, as I was taking these two photographs it occured to me that crocuses are one of those flowers that look best from nearby, are somewhat disappointing from a distance, and often look best in direct sunlight. Moreover, I definitely prefer the purple-petalled variety with their yellow/orange stamens than those with yellow or white petals.

click image to enlarge

The first of these photographs is of more natural looking crocuses growing up through the ivy and early greenery of a churchyard. It's the one I prefer. The second photograph shows quite striking flowers clustered in a characteristic garden display.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Seasonal yarn bombing

The knitters of Ross on Wye have been busy for the past few years undertaking seasonal "yarn bombing" of the centre of the town. Bollards, signs, post boxes and many other surfaces have been decorated with seasonally apt individual and group pieces. Here are a few examples of the current Spring/Easter display.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

 

Unexpected colours

Generally the colour of water relates to what lies beneath or to its surroundings - the colour of the sky or overhanging trees, for example. However, sometimes it is an unexpected tint. In the photograph above the green doesn't seem to correspond to any reflected objects but does sit nicely as a complement to the buff of the reeds and the blue of the cloudless sky. In fact had the green not been there I probably wouldn't have taken the shot.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Hop kilns near Ledbury

What are known as oast houses in Kent are, apparently, called hop kilns in Herefordshire. The photograph above shows two hop kilns (one behind the other in this view) adjoining Kiln Cottage near Frith Wood, Ledbury. The purpose of oast houses/hop kilns was to dry the hops grown for beer-making which are then sent to the brewery. Today this is done in machines and the distinctive buildings that formerly punctuated the landscape in hop growing areas have fallen into disuse or been converted into additional living accomodation. The examples above are now picturesque parts of a cottage that may well have originally been a functional building associated with hops. The spring woodland is showing a variety of subtle colours and the prominent mistletoe ball, above the cottage's gable end, that has been revealed all winter will soon be hidden by leaves.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Spring in Ross on Wye

Our daily exercise, within the terms of the coronavirus lockdown that currently holds sway, has involved walking routes from home that we already know and trying new ones. Today's photograph shows a view from Merrivale Wood, somewhere that we hadn't before explored. As with most distant views of the town the spire of St Mary is the eyecatcher of the scene. However, it being May, spring is bursting forth and the field of oilseed rape and the different hues of the trees, as well as the varied roofs of this part of the settlement, result in a colourful landscape.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Peacock butterfly on blackthorn

One of the problems of running more than one camera is keeping up with the shots you take because, of course, there are multiple memory cards to manage. Today's photograph is a recent one that I'd have posted earlier if I'd remembered I'd taken it. In these coronavirus times a colourful, uplifting shot carries more weight than it might otherwise. Butterflies seem more abundant this spring though I have no hard evidence to support my feeling. Peacocks in particular are everywhere and this one minded my presence rather less than usual.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Social distancing and walking

We've recently experienced an extended period of fine, dry weather with successive days having clear blue skies. Initially this was accompanied by the sorts of temperatures more commonly experienced in July and August. However, lately the east wind has brought temperatures that are more usual for April, the consolation being that the skies retained their azure perfection. The current UK lockdown regime permits people of the same household to take a single period of outdoor exercise in their locality, keeping the duration to no more than an hour, and observing social distancing guidelines. Consequently, we have had an almost daily walk by the river, over the hills and through the woods. Today's photograph was taken on a riverside path as we walked with only a 24mm lens on the camera and clothing suitable for the lower temperatures.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Rower on Wye, Ross on Wye

It never occurred to me that rowing boats of the type featured in this photograph have names. I suppose I should have guessed it to be so since more sedate rowing boats often do, but I've simply never given it much thought. Quite why the name "2nd Breakfast" should be applied I don't know, but I imagine it means something to someone.  This particular rower was enjoying the last of the day's sun on the River Wye at Ross on Wye and making easy headway against the current.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Wooden enemy

There is a phenomenon of people mis-hearing the lyrics of a popular song and not discovering their error until years later. A well known example is "'scuse me while I kiss this guy" rather than "'scuse me while I kiss the sky" in Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix. In a similar vein, when, as a small child, I first heard the flower in today's photograph called by its name I heard not wood anemone but "wooden enemy". The wooden enemies are in flower at the moment, taking advantage of the light before the trees' leaves fully open and make the woodland floor darker.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Blackthorn blossom

Last year spring came late. This year it is here much earlier. Hawthorn hedges have been showing green leaves for a couple of weeks already and the beginnings of flower buds can be seen. We even saw a few early bluebells on 26th March. As for the early flowering blackthorn (Prunus spinoza) such is the weight of blossom already on view you could be forgiven for thinking it is trying to outdo the snow-like covering usually associated with hawthorn in May. It should produce a wonderful crop of sloe berries.


photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Purple tulips

I've said elsewhere that tulips re probably the flower that I have photographed more than any other. That's partly to do with the shape of the flower, its leaves and its stem - it's a beautiful plant. But it's also it appears in spring at a time when I'm ready for its deep, rich colours after the drabness and monotones of winter. This circular bed of purple tulips caught my eye because of the perfection of the plants and the overlapping bamboo arches that had been fashioned into a low fence to surround them.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Amorous great crested grebes

The great crested grebe is a striking water bird. Not large like the swans and geese and not gaudily coloured like the shelduck or shoveller. Rather, this bird is subtly, but beautifully coloured, elegantly pointed in the manner of a fighter jet, and with a "head-dress" matched by only the wading ruff. Then there is its spring courtship routine that involves diving together, hiding, passing weed from bill to bill, and facing each other with bills touching, making a "heart" shape between their bodies. The photograph above is the best I got of pair giving each other their undivided attention at Far Ings National Nature Reserve (NNR), Barton upon Humber, in Lincolnshire.

 photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900