Two Coombe Wood walks this week - first one cut short because I wasn't feeling very well. I have needed a lot of long daytime sleeps this week!
1st walk
Sunlight illuminating a spiders web.
A new flush of silk tree flowers.
Colour contrasts in the sunlight.
Tiny white flowers opening......
...and tall pink clusters of buds beginning to open.
The golden rain tree covered in its lantern like seed pods.
Oranges and yellows.
Pokeweed flowers
and berries forming.
This side of the prairie beds - purple, blue and deep red. (The other side is predominantly orange and yellow)
Heart shaped confetti on the ground.
There was a black bin liner of rubbish next to the bin and a litter picker leaning against the fence but I didn't see the gardener till later on.
Korean pine cone producing sticky bulging bubbles.
Light and shadows through the leaves of the candyfloss tree.
Leaves turning golden.
Smoke bush (what's left of the flowers).
Two birds on the mowed wild flowers area.
One of the higher beds near the entrance.
Delicate pale blue flowers with a stripe down the middle of each petal.
Colourful coleus.
Two bees on a peach coloured flower.
2nd Walk
Sunlight on the flower beds quite near to the entrance.
The water level was higher than usual and the duckweed that usually collects above the little trickling waterfalls was flowing with the stream straight into the pond.
Sunlit ferns
A deformed acorn cup.
More silk tree flowers taking over from the ones that have finished.
Vivid red and fading blue/purple.
Closer.
The little white flowers I noticed on the first walk have opened a lot more now
...and the tufty bits are beginning to show on these pink flowers.
Several gusts of wind made the tall grasses sway. (The yellow and orange side of the prairie beds)
A blanket of yellow.
Ripening pokeberries. These are poisoness. They are also called red ink berries - I would really like to try dyeing something with them. (Must remember to talk to the gardener about this.)
Looking through the prairie plants to the bench and the Golden Rain Tree.
Close up middle of an orange flower.
Thalictrum (meadow rue)
Golden Rain Tree pods close up - some turning bronze now - and a dark seed visible in the middle of a pod in at least one of the following photos.
Thalictrum again - so thick with tiny flowers this year.
Prairie grasses.
The gardener has left a couple of patches in the wildflower area unmown so insects have somewhere to go - this lovely little yellow flower survivied the cut.
I should know what these are called - but I've forgotten. They look purple from a distance - looking closer they have tiny lilac flowers on bright raspberry stems.
Admiring the Golden Rain Tree from the centre of the prairie beds (there are bark paths, I didn't just trample my way into the middle!)
Zebra grass and some other grasses with fluffy floating seed heads which bobbed and bounced as the breeze blew.
As I approached the banana trees I was thinking it was a bit disappointing that there aren't any flowers this year...when I noticed something peeping out from under one of the big leaves.
As I got closer I realised that there might already have been a flower behind this one because there's a tiny bunch of bananas - each banana no bigger than my thumb.
Looking closer - tiny bananas to the right of the flower.
Beauty berries - masses of them!
Candyfloss tree - beautiful coloured leaves and shadows.
Cornus flowers/berries
Many have dropped off onto the ground underneath the tree.
Sunflowers
Long bits like a crown around the centre.
Two tone petals.
Borders overflowing.
Bee
More two tone sunflowers.
Sedums beginning to open.
Anemones behind clusters of sedum buds
Teasels in the sun.
A glimpse of some apples.
Very tall red sunflower
Beautiful purple flower spikes.
Gorgeous blue - tiny flowers.
A sea of pink.
Roses.
Cascade of 3 tubs by the notice board.
The grapes hanging over the notice board are beginning to change colour.
Hops
Roses again.
Fir tree flowers and cones. The tree must be weighed down with this lot!
I always think these look like miniature brussel sprouts. There's a tiny white spide at the bottom of the photo.
Bulrushes in the sun.
Thank you very much for joining me.
