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Category Archives: seasons

244/365 Autumn lady’s-tresses

01 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, autumn, flowers, nature, seasons, wildflowers

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, Autumn Lady’s-tresses, British orchids, British wildflowers, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, orchids, Spiranthes spiralis

Happy (calendar) Autumn!

190901 autumn lady's-tresses (1)

Today’s plant couldn’t be more appropriate – these are Autumn lady’s-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis). True to their name, they usually appear when the weather turns more autumnal, and their twirling spiral form apparently reminded their original namer of the ringlets once popular in women’s hairstyles.

190901 autumn lady's-tresses (4)
190901 autumn lady's-tresses (5)

Though they like to grow in very short turf, Autumn lady’s-tresses are themselves quite small and, surrounded as these were by other wildflowers, especially the superficially similar Eyebright, they weren’t easy to spot.

190901 autumn lady's-tresses (2)
190901 autumn lady's-tresses (3)

Luckily for me, when I was having an early wander around Cosmeston this morning, I bumped into a friend of a friend, who is extremely knowledgeable about the local flora, and he very kindly showed me where these gorgeous little orchids were growing.

190901 autumn ladies tresses (6)

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Cosmeston colour

11 Sunday Nov 2018

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

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Tags

autumn colour, autumn leaves, autumn trees, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park

181111 Cosmeston colour (1)

Although it’s now late autumn, as the weather has been so mild, it’s only in the past couple of weeks that I’ve been seeing the change of seasons reflected in the trees around me on my meanders. So, here’s some glorious autumn colour from recent walks at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park.

181111 Cosmeston colour (2)
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181111 Cosmeston colour (4)
181111 Cosmeston colour (5)
181111 Cosmeston colour (6)
181111 Cosmeston colour (7)
181111 Cosmeston colour (8)
181111 Cosmeston colour (9)

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Seeing spots before my eyes

27 Monday Aug 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature, seasons

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Tags

autumn migration, bird migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Muscicapa striata, Spotted flycatcher

The autumn bird migration is now in full swing in south Wales and almost every day migrating birds are being spotted at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, where they’re stopping off to refuel before they tackle their long flights to warmer over-wintering locations in Europe and Africa. One that I find particularly charming is the Spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata), which is not really spotted at all, more streaky and stripy. The scientific name is more accurate: Muscicapa is a combination of the Latin word musca, meaning fly, and capere, meaning to catch, and the epithet striata is from the Latin striatus, meaning striated.

180827 spotted flycatcher (1)

I saw my first Spotted flycatcher at Cossie on 7 August.

180827 spotted flycatcher (2)
180827 spotted flycatcher (3)

A week later, on the 15th, I had two sightings.

180827 spotted flycatcher (4)
180827 spotted flycatcher (5)
180827 spotted flycatcher (6)

The 20th was a bumper day, with three birds, two obviously travelling together, and another doing its own thing.

180827 spotted flycatcher (7)

And last Friday, the 24th, a birding friend put me on to a single bird, that was catching flies in the paddock I walked through on my way home. Fingers crossed I manage to see a few more before they all disappear for the winter.

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Heatwave

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal, nature, seasons, weather

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, heatwave, Penarth, shrew, summer heat

And I thought yesterday was hot!

180626 Penarth

On day 26 of #30DaysWild the temperature hit 29°C here in Penarth, even hotter than yesterday. And while people may be enjoying this weather (I am not!), it’s really tough for wildlife. I’m not sure what caused this little shrew to die but it’s easy to believe it was the heat, or perhaps thirst. We’ve had a couple of dry months now, and ponds and streams are running low and / or drying up. So, if you’re in a position to put water out for the birds and the beasties, please do – they really need all the help they can get right now.

180626 shrew

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Signs of spring: snowdrops

21 Sunday Jan 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, plants, seasons, spring, wildflowers

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Bute Park, signs of spring, snowdrop, spring flowers

During my walk in Bute Park a few days ago, I saw my first signs of spring. And, though I love winter – as I love each of the seasons for the differences they offer – still, it is always heart-warming, when the days are short and cold and often grey, to see small signs, like these snowdrops, of the earth’s re-awakening.

180121 snowdrops

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Autumn leaves, 3

12 Sunday Nov 2017

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

autumn, autumn colour, autumn leaves, Fall colour

There is so much to love about autumn: it’s as if Nature is an award-winning play, and all the trees are her actors. She’s coming to the end of another successful season, it’s the last grand finale, the players are dressed in magnificent richly coloured costumes ready to take their final bows before a rapturous audience amidst great critical acclaim … and then the curtain comes down for another year.

171112 autumn leaves (1)
171112 autumn leaves (2)
171112 autumn leaves (3)
171112 autumn leaves (4)
171112 autumn leaves (5)
171112 autumn leaves (6)
171112 autumn leaves (7)
171112 autumn leaves (8)

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Autumn leaves, 2

02 Thursday Nov 2017

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

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Tags

autumn, autumn colour, autumn leaves, autumn trees, Fall colour

‘I am rich today with autumn’s gold.’ ~ Gladys Harp

171102 autumn colour (1)
171102 autumn colour (2)
171102 autumn colour (3)
171102 autumn colour (3a)
171102 autumn colour (4)
171102 autumn colour (5)
171102 autumn colour (6)
171102 autumn colour (8)

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Autumn leaves, 1

02 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by sconzani in autumn, leaves, nature, seasons

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

#loveautumn, autumn colour, autumn leaves, red leaves

And so it begins …

170902 Autumn leaves

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Signs of Spring, 2

24 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, seasons, spring, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cardiff Bay, Colt's-foot, Coltsfoot, signs of spring, spring flowers, Tussilago farfara

170224-coltsfoot

Determination. Persistence. Resistance. Constancy.
Humans have cleared the land of ‘weeds’; laid a gravel path edged with a concrete strip; planted a bed of ornamental shrubs (many of which have died); and mulched that garden bed with metal chips yet, in spite of all that destruction of its habitat, this little Colt’s-foot (Tussilago farfara) has managed to push through and begin to flower.
Admiration!

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Signs of Spring, 1

18 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, seasons, spring, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

blooming flowers, crocus, sign of spring, spring flowers

I went for a lovely long walk around parts of Cardiff Bay yesterday and it was sunny and warm, so warm that I had to strip off my scarf and the thin jumper I was wearing over my t-shirt and under my fleece. Spring was definitely in the air and, on my return walk home, I discovered I wasn’t the only one to be feeling the temperature change. These crocuses were putting on a glorious display in the churchyard of St Augustine’s and in the small grassy area just down the hill from the church. Beautiful!

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170218-crocuses-6

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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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