Dartmoor Ramblings: Moss

Showing posts with label Moss. Show all posts

9 January 2013

MACRO POST

In the absence of anything of interest out there today, it being grey and wildlife free, I decided to concentrate on one rock and photograph it very close up. The rock was very approximately 4ft long, 2ft wide and 2ft high. Here are the results:

Here are a couple more from nearby:

School's back so I'm back walking thank goodness; am feeling distinctly middle-age-spready. I used to take being able to eat whatever I wanted for granted.....no more! Anyway, I need to fit in the second episode of the marvelous 'Borgen' which I recorded on Saturday so I will leave you with the only two other pictures I took today, the first of which is of the hideous Fernworthy Forest looking rather lovely! Have a good rest of the week. Until next time.......

6 January 2013

HAPPY MOSS AND THEN THERE WERE TWO

There are now two regular coal tit visitors. Unfortunately they are fierce rivals, are constantly seeing each other off and consequently can never be photographed together. It's lovely to have their numbers expanding; perhaps there will be three soon.

Waiting its turn at the feeder

I've noticed the moss over the moor is looking particularly happy after all the rain; I'm glad something is. I've had to fence a section of Trigger's very small paddock off to see if it can recover for a few weeks. I'm sure any of you with horses will be having the same problems. Here are a few mossy and licheny (I'm getting a big wavy red line under that, not surprisingly!) pictures:

On the gate into our garden, this miniature garden has appeared....

Yellow Brain Fungus looking particularly bright yellow.....

And the first flower of the year....some very early flowering gorse, smelling strongly of coconut (or Hawaiian Tropic sun tan lotion....I wonder if they make it any more?).

We have a very clever sparrow in the flock, who has learnt how to hang onto the peanut feeder. He's the only one who can do it so far. Others watch but don't follow. Perhaps they will in time.

On our way back from a trip to Exeter to buy Origami boy yet more shoes yesterday, the cloud formation was very strange. I haven't been on an plane since 1998 but this is what I remember looking out at from the windows, which is a bit strange given we were on the ground.

And I'll leave you with a few gorsey Snippet pictures. I'm sure his coat has evolved in his three and a half years on the planet so as to allow him to access gorse without pain and cope with his first two incredibly snowy winters. Have as pleasant a Monday as possible!

23 September 2012

LONE TREE GALLERY AND OTHER BITS AND PIECES

What a busy week what with Origami boy's swimming gala in the outside pool (they must be crazy), school meetings, including one about pending sex education and seemingly no time to blog or draw. Never mind - the rain is pouring down now, I have a STINKING cold and the house to myself for a couple of hours. Time to share what I've noticed is an expanding collection of pictures of lone trees on Dartmoor. These are just our local ones; I love their melancholy quality whilst often having a dramatic feel too. They are very often hawthorns but sometimes Rowan or strange hybrid willow in the marshy areas.

This last one was taken yesterday at about 7.30am before the sun burnt off the mist.

The other day I went our looking for the ponies as I hadn't seen them for a few days and I found them sheltering in a local farmer's field which borders the moor, to the disgust of the resident sheep. The wall is broken down and they had all dropped in for a visit. Very naughty and they looked a bit guilty when I popped my head up over the intact section of the wall.

Disgruntled sheep

Foals one and ten together

Whilst walking next to a piece of marsh another day, I noticed this amazing moss, whose length/height was staggering. I've never seen anything like it. Perhaps you have! At some points it was at least a foot high.