Category Archives: Close-up

Bluebells of Calke: May 2022

One of the things I look forward to seeing each year when I’m in Derbyshire is the bluebell and beech wood of Calke Abbey, the nearby National Trust site. I still don’t have any spectacular images of these woods when they’re in full blue bloom, but I managed to get the odd image. It reallyContinue reading “Bluebells of Calke: May 2022”

Punchy Papaver: May 2022

Papaver orientalis can hardly be accused of being shy. In fact, it’s almost crude in its flowering process and its colour! Bright fire engine red, hairy flower buds open seductively, then burst dramatically into large, frilly and showy blooms. The only downside to these is that they don’t last too long. Best grown as aContinue reading “Punchy Papaver: May 2022”

Flora – Spring 2022

Living in Derbyshire for work purposes, I’m seeing more advanced plant growth than was present in Scotland when I left in April. The garden here is full of budding plants, and I’m looking forward to seeing them burst and open. As they did, I made a point to photograph a few. April and May’s flowersContinue reading “Flora – Spring 2022”

Hope is the thing with feathers

Before heading to Derbyshire for the summer to work as an Ecological Consultant learning to survey bats and habitats, and to write up technical reports, I spent a lot of time just with the birds in my Highland garden. By “a lot of time” I mean months. Primarily January through to April, during the coldestContinue reading “Hope is the thing with feathers”

Snow, Mountains and Goats: April 2021

Just two weeks ago we had the most snow we’ve had at all since lockdown began here in the Highlands. 4-5 days of sub-zero temperatures overnight and heavy snowfall resulted in a lovely cover of snow most mornings and continued snowfall throughout the day. It was blissful. Who doesn’t love the world covered in aContinue reading “Snow, Mountains and Goats: April 2021”

Salticidae – Jumping Spider

The other day, on my way out for a ride on the motorbike, a tiny spider appeared on top of the standing air conditioning fan in the bedroom. I spotted its little body running up and down the top of the fan, inspecting the various elements (and dust!), and regularly looking up at me andContinue reading “Salticidae – Jumping Spider”

Swanning about

For now, while the rain pours in the UK, I will continue to re-visit old wildlife images and re-edit to produce something different to the original edits. Birds seem to be especially good for this task!