Cuckoo Flower

The subject of this photo is Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis), also known as Lady's Smock. This flower likes damp areas of grassland and woodland, or even the edges of ponds; although common throughout the UK it has seen some reduction in range due to drainage of wetlands (see naturescalendar.org.uk). This plant should become obvious soon as it starts flowering in April, showing four pale, pink (or sometimes white) petals that are slightly cupped. The Cuckoo Flower is an important foodplant for the Orange Tip Butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines - spot the link between the two in their scientific name!).

It was believed these flowers were sacred to fairies, and therefore it was unlucky to bring them indoors or include them in May Day garlands (nature's calendar, wikipedia).

On The Naze

The Naze, a headland on the east coast of England, lying just north of the Essex town Walton-on-the-Naze and jutting out into the North Sea.  "The Naze, as well as being a natural open space, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) famed for its fossils..." Walking on the shore, we found a left-handed whelk shell, Neptunia contraria,  a fossil from 3.6 to 2.6 million years ago.

Summer Posterchild

"Summer Posterchild"

The gold and green vista of an English meadow was once a common sight in Summer. Such a sight is much rarer now, as 97% of the UK's meadows have been lost since World War II. This photo was taken at Langdon Hills Country Park in Essex, part of the Langdon Living Landscape. The Country Park's meadows are varied; some were improved for agriculture in the past and are gaining in wildlife interest through appropriate management, while some fields were already glorious with wildflowers. Three of the fields are important enough to be designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Langdon Hills: Feeling Blue

"Feeling Blue": Common Blue Butterfly, Langdon Hills, Essex

A rather ragged-looking blue butterfly rests a moment in one of the wildflower meadows of Langdon Hills Country Park, near Basildon in Essex.

The larvae of this butterfly feed on Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). Adults will also feed on Bird's-foot Trefoil, and a variety of other plants besides (read more at www.ukbutterflies.co.uk).

Many of the butterflies in the Lycaenidae family have interesting relationships with ants. The chrysalis of the Common Blue attracts ants that protect it from predators. Larvae can also produce nutrients to feed ants (read more on Wikipedia).

Bluebells Arising

Spring is most definitely underway here in the UK, and the signs are all around us. In the Langdon Hills this means some superb swathes of bluebells are soon to carpet the ancient woodlands with blue, and sweetly scent the air. Some woods on the ridge put on their display of bluebells earlier than others due to aspect and other factors, but suffice to say that it will be well worth visiting the various woods over the next few weeks.

Here you can see the first bluebells emerging in Martinhole Wood in Langdon Hills Country Park, and the dense mat of bluebell plants on the ground here presage the plenitude of flowers yet to emerge. The presence of these flowers here, plus others such as lesser celandine and wood anemone, indicate the age of the woodland. Bluebells are protected by law, so please remember not to pick them... Take a photograph, it will last much longer anyway!

Essex Forest Fragments: Hatfield Coppice

Hazel Coppice in Hatfield Forest

This photo was taken in Hatfield Forest in Essex, a medieval royal hunting ground now owned and managed by the National Trust. This is a fragment of the Forest of Essex, that once covered most of the county. The site is over a thousand acres in size, and is managed using traditional techniques such as coppicing, pollarding, and grazing with livestock.

Coppicing, a technique used for thousands of years to produce useful wood products, has resulted in the interesting growth forms of the trees. Many native trees will regrow with multiple stems after being cut down, producing these distinctive, dense thickets in the photo above. Spring also brings a splash of chartreuse green to the picture, with fresh foliage on both hazel thickets and the ground layer.

Coppicing is often used in modern times as a tool for maintaining the biodiversity of woodlands. It can add variety to the structure of a woodland, and allows light to reach the woodland floor.

Vange Well #5

View of the sky from Well #5

Up in the hills of Langdon Hill Country Park in Essex, tucked away in the woodlands, lies a ruin. A relic, a building which housed Well Number 5 of the Vange Water Company. The metalwork of the domed roof creates an interesting frame for the sky, and for the encroaching woodland which is reclaiming the site.

Read more about the building and "Farmer Cash's Famous Medicinal Vange Water" at the Basildon History website.

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.

Fallen Limb

Taken in Epping Forest, "Fallen Limb" shows a veteran Oak pollard with a large fallen bough. The forest is starting to show autumnal colours here, with hornbeam showing yellow tones in the background of this picture.

Pollarding is a traditional woodland management technique which involves cutting back the tree to head height, to stimulate growth and produce useful lengths of wood. This often results in unusual shapes as the tree grows, particularly if the cutting regime isn't continued. Eventually, an unmanaged pollard can become unable to support the weight of its limbs, dropping branches or even being split in twain.

Read more about Epping Forest and Pollarding on the City of London website.

Marbled White at Langdon Hills

This shot captures a Marbled White butterfly, feeding on red clover at Langdon Hills Country Park, in Thurrock (Essex). The site has a number of meadows, supporting a myriad of insects and other wildlife - including 33 species of butterfly. Many of these are on the wing now that the British summer is most definitely here. Below we have some more information about the Marbled White butterfly, from Naturalist Natasha Lodge.
- Tom Heenan, Photographer

The Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) is actually more closely related to the 'Brown' butterflies than the 'White' butterflies due to its life cycle and habits. It has distinct black and white markings that make it easy to recognise. Small, red, parasitic mites are often seen on the bodies of Marbled Whites, but these do not pose a threat to the butterfly in small numbers and do not detract from their attractive colouring. It is a common species and is found throughout most of South and central England and in parts of South Wales. It is currently absent from Scotland, however the species is expanding northwards.
- Natasha Lodge, Naturalist

Fading Comma

"Fading Comma", resting amongst the Speedwell flowers, May 2013.

The sun is finally shining on us here in the UK, or so it seems. The butterflies are making the most of the bright weather, with many of these bold and beautiful creatures flying around the woodlands and meadows of the countryside, or visiting gardens. Here is a shot from last Summer, of an old Comma butterfly, starting to look ragged but still beautifully coloured, resting on the grass amongst the Speedwell flowers. This shot was taken on the walk between Admiral's Park in Chelmsford and the village of Writtle.

Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys) is an interesting flower. Some attribute the name "Speedwell" to its use as a traditional remedy, where it was supposed to cure a person quickly (see article here). It may not be enough to restore the Comma butterfly in the face of climate change however.

The Comma butterfly, and other darker insects like it, may soon be fading away as a result of climate change. A study published last month found that global warming is favouring lighter coloured insects over darker ones; Zeuss et al. looked at a wide range of butterfly and dragonfly species across Europe and found that their colouring affects their ability to cope with temperature. The current distribution of these insects is linked to their colouring, and as temperature increases their distribution will too. Darker insects, like the Comma, retreat northwards and lighter insects appear in their place. “Until now we could only watch the massive changes in the insect fauna during the last 20 years. Now we have an idea of what could be a strong cause of the changes," said Dirk Zeuss, lead author of the study. This will help to predict future changes to insect populations in Europe.

"Cotswold Beech Burst"

"Cotswold Beech Burst", Maugersbury, Gloucestershire.

There is something about this image that I have just fallen in love with. Is it the extraordinary beech tree, whose limbs seem to burst over the traditional Cotswold dry stone wall? Is it the wall itself, that very woldsy structure formed of warm-toned Jurassic limestone and stone-age craft beginning to be colonised by ivy? It can't be the garish modern road-sign in the foreground. But perhaps it could be the juxtaposition of the three elements within one picture which I find appealing. On the edge of the delightful little rural backwater Maugersbury, itself a stones throw from Stow-on-the-Wold, this quiet country lane bears the intrusion of the modern world. In this image at least, the modern world has yet to take over completely: the enormous tree and the stone wall beneath it manage to dominate the photograph.

Historical Epping Forest: A Photographic Exploration

The Epping Forest area is full of historic buildings as well as ancient trees. Churches, chapels, hunting lodges and haunted pubs, the area is full of interesting buildings with fascinating histories (and photogenic foibles). Here are a handful of images to show you just some of the historical interest to be found here in South-West Essex, on the edge of London.

The Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge has to feature in any mention of the history of Epping Forest. From Elizabeth I to William Morris (whose first recorded interest in textiles was during a visit to the hunting lodge - read more about him here), this building has touched upon the lives of many important figures. The lodge was actually built for Henry VIII, back in 1543. The two photos above show the hunting lodge during a medieval re-enactment event, a chance to see history come to life at the hunting lodge. The hunting lodge and the newly-built visitor centre next door are excellent places to learn more about the forest (and "The View" visitor centre does indeed have fantastic views out over Chingford Plain), and there are a number of marked trails leading out from here to help you explore the woodland. Find out more about the lodge and upcoming events at the City of London website.

"The Chapel" in Chigwell Row

The Chigwell Row chapel above, dominated by very grand Plane trees, was opened in 1804 (although the frontage is probably more recent according to British History Online) and it is now a United Free Church. The building, though squat and rectangular, looks stunning when its golden bricks soak up the sunlight. Chigwell Row was an outlying hamlet on the very edge of Hainault Forest, and although development has since joined it up with neighbouring settlements it still retains some pretty village features (and some of nearby Hainault Forest still remains to enjoy).

Some of the fascinating features that can be found on buildings in the area

And in this final image, a montage of building features. On the left is one of the gargoyles which grace the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Pub in Chingford. Just around the corner from the hunting lodge, this pub is reputedly haunted (did the ghost inspire the gargoyles, or vice versa?). In the middle of the montage is a Norman Cross, part of the original Norman doorway of St. Mary's Church in Chigwell Village (built in 1160). Finally, the head to the right of the montage is part of the decorative stonework around the arched doorways at the All Saints Church in Chigwell Row (next to Hainault Forest). Besides being a very fine piece of masonry, the face seems to have a quiet dignity which is very suited to a man of stone.

The Chignal Jester

The Chignal Jester stands proudly on its head.

Has someone turned this tree upside-down as some kind of April fool? The ash tree in this photo, taken in rural Essex, certainly looks topsy-turvy. The short stout trunk ends in a blunt and lumpy way (as a result of pollarding) and the winter-bare, spreading branches above it strongly resemble roots. A number of gnarled, veteran ash trees can be found throughout the farmland around Chelmsford, but this one near the Chignals was particularly photogenic. Its trunk catches the winter sunshine, and its branches seem to embrace the blue sky. It presides over both the country lane and fields beside it, but the other trees distant in the background place it in context: this tree is one of many dotted through the agricultural landscape, and these provide added interest and a huge benefit for wildlife (providing food for butterflies and moths, for example).

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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.

Tor View

The Dartmoor landscape as seen from the ancient rocks of Sheeps Tor

tor  (tôr)

n.

1. A high rock or pile of rocks on the top of a hill.

2. A rocky peak or hill.

(thefreedictionary.com)

This photo shows the view over Burrator Reservoir from Sheeps Tor, Dartmoor, Devon. The ancient granite rocks of this Tor were formed hundreds of millions of years ago as magma slowly cooled beneath the Earth's surface. These rocks have since become uncovered by erosion, but being more resistant to erosion themselves, they are left standing like silent sentinels upon this hilltop and many others in the Dartmoor National Park. Dartmoor has the largest area of granite in Britain and is full of these tors, or "rocky peaks". 

Brick Lane

Some urban photography for you today, for something a little bit different. The Brick Lane landscape is very interesting, with influences of different cultures, a jumble of stalls selling a variety of wares, and the "world famous" graffiti street art. Here are a few photos of "Banglatown" from last weekend.

Delicious cakes, graffiti and more. "Brick Lane Bakery" taken outside the Morena Bakery.

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