Coombe Wood - Monday morning rainy walk.

The morning started off quite bright but very soon after I began my walk I felt rain in the air, umbrella up (to preotect camera - I didn't mind getting a bit wet) and walk continued! It's been about 10 days since my last visit because I've been away. A lot has changed in that time.

The tall purple flowers by the pond have grown much taller and were swaying in the breeze. 

Colour spills from the flower beds near the entrance - hardly any bare soil shows anywhere now.

The pond had cleared but further upstream the duckweed made swirling patterns in the water.

Big hydrangeas - looking like giant pompoms 

heavy with rain. 

Giant leaves

like big vessels catching pine needles as they fall. 

Why do some flowers look luminous even on dull rainy days?

I was amazed to see how many flowers were on the silk tree. Such unusual flowers.

They seem to glow too! 

I usually like to walk among the prairie plants but I chickened out today because almost everything was thick with bees and I didn't want to annoy them.

Got a bit carried away just walking around the edge! 

I love these - they look as if they have tiny lightbulbs in them!

And with the raindrops too! 

More morning glory flowers futher along - not in the prairie beds.

Looking back at the prairie beds - such a rich tapestry of colour and texture.

Rainy banana leaves - I couldn't see any flowers yet.

Sumach flowers.

A beetle on the starry seed pods. (Great camouflage!)

Acer seeds. 

An insect of some sort has been eating this leaf from the inside making patterns.

Candyfloss tree - leaves turning colour. 

Branch weighed down by long trailing plant with berries forming.

Wet ferns.  

Australian pine - with double leaves - like alternate threads separated for weaving.

Heart shaped bright lime coloured leaves cheering up a dark corner.

Sugar pink anthers in these little flowers 

Another plant that glows - these hydrangeas, unlike the pompom-like ones earlier, are lacecap hydrangeas.

Every part of the flower erupts into tiny flowerlets (if there is such a word!)

 Spindleberries - still waiting for them to change colour.

Himalayan lantern seed pods. 

Candyfloss tree leaves changing colour. 

Slim delicate fuchsias. 

On the way back, coming from a different angle (heading to the hut to shelter from the rain for a little while) near to the morning glory flowers I noticed a gogeous clematis. 

Clematis to the left and morning glory to the right, creating an echo of each other's colour.

Teasels

Wandering along by the herbaceous borders. The plants are now at least waist high - and many are taller than me.

The other spindle berries - not so round. 

Japanese anemone

 Sunflowers

Dahlias.

Cosmos

All sorts! 

Cosmos - I noticed that this one had pink stains around the edge.

Such an overlflow of plants. 

Heading towards the gate. 

Thank you very much for joining me.