30/06/22-Winchester and home
I did a seasonal day where I took my old DSLR camera and old macro lens in my work bag to take photos of flowers and insects during my lunch break whilst working in Winchester and on the way in, this my summer version with the last time I did it a late winter/early spring one at the end of February. I hadn’t done one again until now partly as on my monthly two days of bringing my bridge camera in my work bag for Peregrines and other things and sometimes with my phone I have taken flower pictures I am pleased with which I didn’t know would be the case as the year went on. It was a nice contrast today with daffodils and snowdrops dominant on the last day I did this but today poppy and rosebay willowherb played a big part in the day big flowers I associate with summer so I could feel the difference in the time of year between the two with the insect year not really in full swing back in February. I enjoyed this exercise again especially on a fairly sunny lunch break and whilst it was nice to see and photograph insects too it was great having a set of photos for the day so dominated by macro shots of flowers. At the Winchester Cathedral grounds and a brilliant patch of varied flowers by Colebrook Street Car Park in between the cathedral and Abbey Gardens especially with taking photos in mind the more I looked at the areas the more flowers I noticed which was nicely invigorating.
Flowers/plants I enjoyed seeing today were forget-me-not, vervain, bouncing bess still going in the path of flowers by the car park, lots of rosebay willowherb both in Winchester and on the way seen from the train, dandelion type flowers including hawksbeard I believe, poppy like the one in the third picture in this photoset, the stunning fox-and-cubs the beautiful orange ones I’ve enjoyed seeing at the flower patch by the car park, lovely hedge woundwort at Winchester Cathedral something of a revelation of my year so far one I enjoyed learning and seeing I took the fifth picture in this photoset of it, a great mix of willowherb, carrot and bright purple mallow making nice sights in and around Lakeside, willowherb and crane’s-bill at Winchester Cathedral at lunch time the first picture in this photoset showing one of these, stunning seemingly ever present ivy-leaved toadflax in Winchester one I have loved learning and seeing over the last year, green alkanet on the way to the station this morning, St. John’s-wort type flowers, a plant with berries on, yarrow, possible pignut, lovely nightshade, remnants of wood avens flowers, possible sedum type flowers in Winchester, I seem to recall possible speedwell, lots of varied types of bindweed throughout the day, roses and cornflower type flowers. I took the second and fourth pictures in this photoset of flowers today too. The buddleia bush at home looked exquisite backlit by the morning sun with an interesting cloud formation behind as I left the house this morning.
Insect highlights of today was a bee on the flowers near the car park, flies and another Marmalade Hoverfly I believe for me to see lately a delicious coloured and delicately marked insect. It looked brilliant landed on one of my star flowers of the day fox-and-cubs, cracking colours and a perfect moment of natural fixation to end 30 Days Wild I have so enjoyed taking a moment each day to reflect on how being in the wild has grabbed my attention and inspired me every day. It’s been a very quick, packed and phenomenal wild month for me which I loved. I seem to recall a Small or Large White butterfly in Winchester today and Marbled White as I cut through a glorious and sunny Lakeside this morning. Over the River Itchen as I reached there to eat lunch I was taken in by a bright and electric looking green and blue Emperor dragonfly flying over the river here once again this year.
Jackdaw and Magpie were standout birds to see today, as was Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon including at Winchester Cathedral I saw one Woodpigeon chase off another at home tonight. House Sparrows, Goldfinch and Collared Dove other birds seen today.
Coming home with it raining a bit and the sun coming back out too I liked noticing the three big trees visible from my room looking prominent in the distance in nice light. The steeplebush shone wonderfully in all its pink glory as the re-emerging sun lit it up whilst it still rained a bit as I got in. I spent a few nice moments in the living room watching as the inevitable happened and a rainbow emerged over the scenes out the front another nice rainbow to observe over the past week. I took in rich and memorable scenes of dark clouds, colours of the bright rainbow and ripe green leaves of trees out the front and the hedge too with some visibly showing helicopter seeds which I have enjoyed a fair bit this year. In the warm glow of this light near constantly birds were feeding on the balcony including Goldfinch and House Sparrow but most notably a lively group of feeding Starlings. With a few adults was a young one sat on the top of the feeding structure who sharply called for food and was fed by its parent as it went down onto the bird feeders and collected food. An amazing few moments of fixation and wonder. I took the sixth picture of the view out the front, seventh of the rainbow and final three pictures in this photoset of the Starlings.
