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Category Archives: parks

I’m following a tree: November 2018

07 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, leaves, nature, parks, trees

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

#treefollowing, Acer mono, Acer mono ssp pictum, Acer pictum, autumn colour, autumn leaves, Bute Park, I'm following a tree, Mono maple

At the end of September, various circumstances combined to prevent me from visiting my Mono (Acer pictum ssp. mono), the tree I’m following this year, but I did manage to pay it a visit on 19 October. And I’m so glad I did, as I managed to get some photos of it in all its autumn glory, before last weekend’s storm-force winds blew most of its leaves off.

181107 Acer mono (1)

So, here it is on 19 October, a blaze of orange loveliness …

181107 Acer mono (2)181107 Acer mono (3)

A closer shot of the leaves still on the tree, and another looking up through the canopy from underneath.

181107 Acer mono (4)
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Some close-ups of the leaves on the ground. I love the variety of colours in these.

181107 Acer mono (12)

And here’s Mono on 2 November, a shadow of its former gloriousness, though what remains is a lighter, more yellow colour than before. It’s interesting to note, too, how more leaves remain on the left side of the tree, presumably because that side is a little more shaded and sheltered.

181107 Acer mono (14)

Soon, all that will remain will be this carpet of leaves below the tree and skeletal branches above.

181107 Acer mono (13)

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Bute trees

21 Sunday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, nature, parks, trees, walks

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

autumn, autumn colour, beautiful trees, Bute Park, Bute Park's trees, photographing trees, walk in the park

181021 Bute trees (4)

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, I spent several hours of a glorious autumnal Friday wandering amongst the trees in Cardiff’s Bute Park, and it was wonderful. I love trees and this meander reminded me why – their myriad different shapes and sizes, the variety of colours and textures in their leaves and their bark, and how difficult it is to capture all those qualities well in photographs. Since 2015, the year I spent photographing a tree each and every single day, I find I’m a little out of practice. I haven’t decided on next year’s project yet so maybe …

181021 Bute trees (1)181021 Bute trees (2)181021 Bute trees (3)181021 Bute trees (5)181021 Bute trees (6)181021 Bute trees (7)

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A walk along the Taff

10 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature, parks, trees, walks, wildflowers

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Tags

Bute Park, Carrion crow, Goosander, Green alkanet, Grey heron, Grey wagtail, Mallard, Mute swan, River Taff, riverside walk, Speckled wood, woodland trail

On Friday, after I’d paid a visit to the tree I’m following, I enjoyed a stroll along the trail in Cardiff’s Bute Park that meanders through mature woodland alongside the River Taff. Despite this summer’s drought conditions, the recent rains have revived the local trees and plants so everything was looking wonderfully lush and vibrant.

180910 Walk by the Taff (1)

A female Goosander sailing down river was a pleasant sight. Both males and females can often be seen on this part of the Taff from autumn through to spring.

180910 Walk by the Taff (2)

Near the far river bank, a Grey heron stood tall on one of the many exposed rocks and boulders. The river is quite low at the moment.

180910 Walk by the Taff (3)

There weren’t a lot of signs of autumn yet – only the leaves of the Horse chestnuts were yellowing and curling up and beginning to drop.

180910 Walk by the Taff (4)

A Speckled wood was well camouflaged on the woodland floor. There weren’t many butterflies around, just half a dozen Speckled woods and a few Small whites.

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A Mallard enjoyed a snooze near the river’s edge.

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I liked the colours and patterns of the pebbles and the occasionally blue sky reflected in the river water.

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This was one of two Mute swans feeding.

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I’ve seen this particular Carrion crow many times before when I’ve walked this way. I know it’s the same crow, not because of how it looks but because it has virtually no voice. It tries to croak but hardly any sound comes out.

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Most of the wildflowers have finished flowering but this Green alkanet was a pretty exception.

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Just a few hints of autumn showing here. I love how this path meanders through these magnificent trees.

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The woodland trail finishes just below Blackweir, where the current low water level means many rocks and boulders have been exposed. This was the perfect spot for a group of perhaps 20 Grey wagtails to fly-catch, and watching their aerial antics was the perfect end to my wander alongside the Taff.

180910 Walk by the Taff (12)

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I’m following a tree: September 2018

09 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by sconzani in leaves, nature, parks, trees

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Acer mono, Acer pictum, Bute Park, I'm following a tree, tree following

I expected my tree, this magnificent Acer pictum aka Acer mono, to be looking a little autumnal when I visited it in Cardiff’s Bute Park on Friday, but no.

180909 acer mono (1)

There were leaves that almost looked burnt, were dry and curling up, but that looked more like a hangover from the several weeks of drought and high temperatures we had in July and August, rather than the slow changing of colour you’d expect to see during autumn.

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Spot the Speckled wood butterfly perched high in the canopy – one of two I saw up there.

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Most of the foliage was still looking lush and vibrant and very green.

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Though a few lay scattered beneath the tree, most of its seeds were also still attached. I brought a couple of seed pods home, thinking to look at the seeds inside them. It wasn’t until I checked them later that I realised all the seeds had burst out of their pods. Next time …

180909 acer mono (7)
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I’m following a tree: July 2018

08 Sunday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in nature, parks, trees

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

#treefollowing, Acer mono, Acer pictum, Bute Park, I'm following a tree

I paid a visit to Mono, my tree, yesterday and was slightly surprised but much relieved to see it didn’t appear to be suffering any ill effects from the continued heatwave and drought we’re having here in south Wales and, indeed, throughout much of Britain. I guess the tree has very deep roots and will also benefit from the shelter of the trees around it.

180708 tree following (1).jpg

I was certainly enjoying the shelter its canopy afforded me from the fierce sunshine.

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And looking up into its branches, I noticed my tree now has seeds, which means I obviously missed its flowering. Apparently, the greenish-yellow flowers appear in April-May in upright clusters.

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The seeds – actually called samaras – are really winged nuts, of the type that are commonly found on ash and maple trees. Mono’s are between 2 and 3cm long, inclusive of the wing, and are greenish in colour when still hanging on the tree, though those seeds that have already dropped off have dried to a light brown, with their wing-like structure clearly visible. All the better to spread those seeds on the wind when the time is right!

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The heronsew, the ducklings & the chicks

27 Wednesday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, parks

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, birding, birdwatching, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, ducklings, Grey heron, gull chicks, gull nesting on urban rooftop, heronsew, Lesser black-backed gull, Mallard, young heron

The blue-sky heat was relieved ever so slightly on day 27 of #30DaysWild by a nice breeze, so I strolled along to Cosmeston Lakes Country Park for a mooch around. I had a lovely time, though after a couple of hours chasing butterflies in the glaring heat, I felt rather envious of the water birds enjoying the cooling water of the lakes.

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This young Grey heron – apparently called a heronsew, from the French heronceau – has not yet learnt to fear humans and was very close to the boardwalk by the cafe.

180627 mallard ducklings (1)180627 mallard ducklings (2)

As I was watching it, Mum Mallard brought her brood of five well-grown ducklings out for a swim. They looked a bit like gawky teenagers and have already been taught to approach humans in the hope of some food.

180627 LBB chicks (1)
180627 LBB chicks (2)

Then, on the walk home, I spotted a bundle of fluff moving around on a rooftop. By the time I got the camera out, it had sat back down with its sibling and, though I was on the other side of the street, mother (or father) Lesser black-backed gull flew past screeching at me, before landing on the chimney to keep an eye on its chicks. I’ve heard of these gulls nesting on factories and taller buildings but not on a house in an urban area.

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The secretive Reed warbler

21 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, parks, walks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Parc Slip Nature Reserve, Reed warbler

For day 21 of #30DaysWild and as a solstice treat, I went for a visit to the Wildlife Trust’s Parc Slip Nature Reserve. It was a lovely sunny day and I walked far and wide, seeing lots of wildlife and wildflowers, but the highlight came as I was sitting on a park bench in a distant part of the reserve eating my lunch.

180621 Reed warblers (1)

I could hear what I thought were Reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), dotting about in the reeds and bushes growing along a nearby stream, and could see the undergrowth moving as they gradually came nearer.

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These are often very shy birds and I’ve never managed very clear photos of them so I waited to see if they would pop up.

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And my patience was eventually rewarded with these fleeting views of two of a family of four Reed warblers – still not great shots but I’m happy with them.

180621 Reed warblers (4)

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Here be dragons

10 Sunday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, nature photography, parks

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Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, Black-tailed skimmer, British dragonflies, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, dragonflies, Emperor dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, Odonata

This is Wales. We have dragons!
More specifically, this was Cosmeston Lakes Country Park on day 10 of #30DaysWild, where I managed to find three different species of dragonfly.

180610 Black-tailed skimmer immature male

An immature male Black-tailed skimmer

180610 Broad-bodied chaser male

A mature male Black-tailed skimmer

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Above and below, a female Emperor, ovipositing (i.e. egg-laying)

180610 Emperor female (2)

180610 Four-spotted chaser (1)

As above, so below: Four-spotted chasers

180610 Four-spotted chaser (2)

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From garbage to glorious

09 Saturday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, insects, nature, parks

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, Bee orchid, Blackcap, Brimstone butterfly, Common blue butterfly, Common spotted orchid, Emperor dragonfly, Grangemoor Park, Holly blue butterfly, Large skipper, long-tailed tit, Meadow Brown, Pyramidal orchid, Southern marsh orchid

Day 9 of #30DaysWild saw me at Grangemoor Park, a place that used to be Cardiff’s rubbish dump: when it closed in 1994, it contained an estimated four million cubic metres of garbage, both commercial and household. Now, it’s not only a public park but also a SINC (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation), and is home to a wonderfully diverse range of flora and fauna. My photos show just some of what I discovered there today …

180609 1 Large skipper

Large skipper butterfly

180609 2 Meadow brown

One of seven Meadow brown butterflies seen today

180609 3 Common blue

Male Common blue butterfly

180609 4 Holly blue

Holly blue butterfly (and tiny friend)

180609 5 Brimstone

Brimstone butterfly (one of my favourites)

180609 6 Emperor dragonfly

Emperor dragonfly. There were many other dragonflies and damselflies at the pond but they were a bit distant for photos.

180609 7 Long-tailed tit fledgling

One of four newly fledged Long-tailed tits, foraging with their parents

180609 8 Blackcap female

Female Blackcap busy foraging for her family

180609 9 Pyramidal orchid

Pyramidal orchids

180609 10 Bee orchid

Bee orchid – love their ‘faces’!

180609 11 Southern marsh orchid

Southern marsh orchid (I think)

180609 12 Common spotted orchid

Common spotted orchids

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Aberbargoed Grasslands

08 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, parks

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, Aberbargoed Grasslands, British butterflies, British moths, Common blue butterfly, Large white butterfly, Long-horn moth, Nemophora degeerella, Small copper

On day 8 of #30DaysWild I paid my first visit to the Aberbargoed Grasslands, with my friend Sharon. We were hoping to spot some of the Marsh fritillaries this National Nature Reserve is known for but, sadly, we didn’t even see one. Perhaps the overcast weather had sent them into hiding. The good news is that I saw my first Small copper butterfly for the year, we saw a small number of Common blue butterflies and a few whites. We also spotted several moths, the most spectacular of which was a group of five male long-horn moths, Nemophora degeerella. They were dazzling, even on a grey day, and just look at the length of those horns!

180608 1 Small copper

Small copper butterfly

180608 2 Common blue

A Common blue butterfly feeding on meadow thistles

180608 Large white

Large white butterfly

180608 4 Nemophora degeerella

A long-horn moth, Nemophora degeerella

180608 5 Nemophora degeerella

Look at the length of those horns!

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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