Greenwich Reedbeds

Taken last November, the winter sunshine bathes the Thames in this photo taken from the Greenwich peninsula, looking North and East out over the reed-beds. The Thames Barrier can be seen in the distance.

This photo was taken in North Greenwich from the Thames Path, near the delightful little oasis that is the Greenwich Ecology Park (and not far from the O2 arena, formerly the Millenium Dome). At one time wetlands (marsh, reed-beds and ponds) would have covered much of the the peninsula; the peninsula was actually known as Greenwich Marsh! Green space here has disappeared and reappeared since then, with the rise of industry in the 1880's and its subsequent decline. The Ecology Park's wetland habitats sit on the site of an old steelworks, and were created in 2000 when the peninsula was regenerated. The Ecology Park and the reed-beds nearby are artificial, but are still true reflections of what was once the natural landscape here by the Thames. The wildlife that has since colonised these habitats attests to their value.

River Stour Boating

These two images feature the River Stour, in that beautiful part of the country where Essex and Suffolk meet. Dedham Vale (an AONB - Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) has gorgeous, famous and typically English landscapes, with rolling farmland and quaint old buildings. The two photos I am posting today show the aquatic charms of the River however. There is a long history of navigation on the River Stour, and boats have been used to transport all sorts of goods from bricks heading to London through to sewage heading out to the fields of Suffolk! They can also transport itinerant photographers. The picture above, "On the Stour", shows a boats-eye view of the riverine landscape, including twisted, pollarded Willow trees. The picture below, "The Boating Alphabet", depicts a landscape of boats awaiting use outside the old Granary building (with Flatford Mill glimpsed through the trees in the background).

Rainbow Over Roding

Even the rainy days have their rainbows. This photo was taken in the Roding Valley, and shows a double rainbow over the wet meadows and fen of the Nature Reserve that runs along the River Roding near Loughton and Chigwell, Essex, England. The reserve follows the river for roughly a mile and a half, and in addition to providing a place for the Roding to flood (thus alleviating some of the flooding pressure downstream) the reserve also contains a number of important plant and animal species. The nature reserve contains the the largest remaining area of water meadows in Essex, according to Essex Wildlife Trust. I like the warmth of the late light here bathing the bare trees and shrubs, and picking out the sere grasses in the background.

Dedham Vale, Spring 2013

It would seem that Spring has finally begun in England. The hawthorn and cherry are blossoming, the willow catkins are covered in bright yellow pollen, the daffodils have sprung up on roadsides, birdsong fills the air. To make the most of the clement weather a week back, I visited Dedham Vale on the Essex-Suffolk border, and walked from Flatford to Dedham (and back) along the River Stour.

River Stour in flood near Flatford Mill, Constable Country

  

"Still I should paint my own places best;
painting is with me but another word
for feeling, and I associate “my careless
boyhood” with all that lies on the
banks of the Stour; those scenes made
me a painter, and I am grateful ..."

 - John Constable

The blue skies, the unusual contortions of the willow trees along the river, the flood-waters on the Suffolk side, and the wildlife that is becoming more obvious as the weather warms up; all of this meant a variety of photo opportunities, and a beautiful Spring walk. A selection of photos from the day are found below; I have written more about the natural history interest of the day on my Far-Ranging blog.

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