Macro photography

Macro photography

Macro photography is not something which I had really dabbled in, before I began my forest bathing adventures for this website. I have had hours of fun scrabbling through the undergrowth, or sitting patiently and waiting for a bee or butterfly to stop long enough for me to be able to get a perfect snap. There has been a whole new world open up for me to experience.

The obvious new-found favourite of mine has got to be the mushroom. I have loved discovering so may varieties, which I previously didn’t even know existed.

I have also watched insects going about their daily lives, which you wouldn’t normally do. It has been fascinating.

Witnessing the change of the seasons through berries, and even pine cones, has also helped me to feel more connected to nature.

Most people think of photography as taking a perfect shot of a landscape, yet there is so many beautiful and amazing things to see if you venture into the world of macro photography.

Hedgehogs hibernating

Hedgehogs hibernating

Hedgehogs hibernating under piles of leaves is something which you think of when you consider the season of autumn. Upon my wanderings, I am now beginning to see piles of leaves appearing in their beautiful shades of red, yellow and green. It is though an artist has come along with their pastels and coloured the leaves for a project. (Nature really is the greatest artist of them all.)

When do hedgehogs actually hibernate? The St Tiggywinkles website explains how most hedgehogs tend to hibernate from late December through to late March time. These dates, however, can change based on the weather and the hedgehog. Apparently some don’t hibernate at all. If you do disturb a hedgehog hibernating then you should just re-cover them with leaves, if you are forest bathing. If you find one in your garden, then you could leave some dog food and water out for it, as they use body fat if they are disturbed from hibernation.

St Tiggywinkles website link

Autumn frost.

Autumn frost.

Autumn frost has appeared for the first time this season. It is a welcome change to rain, to see the white dusting sparking in the morning sunlight. It transforms the outside world into something magical. The fallen autumn leaves; the blades of grass; the ageing bracken, the left over blackberries; and the vibrant yellow gorse all look like something from an enchanted kingdom.

          

Apparently, according to the Met Office website, there are many different types of frost. The one that I experienced was a ground frost. This type of frost occurs when plants and trees have a surface temperature below freezing. There are other frosts, such as a hoar frost and air frost. A hoar frost occurs on trees, for example, when the air cools to the dew point and, because the surface temperature of the tree is already below freezing, ice crystals are formed. An air frost occurs if the air temperature is below freezing, more than a metre above the ground.

Met office link  

There is nothing nicer than going for an early morning walk in the cold, spotting all of the frosty treasures, and then going back inside with a good excuse to warm up. Sitting down with a cup of steaming hot chocolate, closing your eyes and remembering all of the sparkling moments.

Autumn flowers

Autumn flowers

Autumn flowers is not a phrase which readily springs to mind. Spring and summer flowers are what people tend to thing of when they are considering flowers in nature. On one of my wanders I happened to go by an allotment, where due to the rather warm autumn weather there were still many flowers blooming and bees busying about. I must admit that it did seem rather strange to see such bright, vibrant colours against the blue sky, yet with long shadows all around, and the smell of leaf litter and bonfires.

 

                                         

It was sad to see that clover is now coming to an end, as its bright purple flowers always brighten up the wayside. Also, they are dearly loved by the bees and are always buzzing if you venture close.

House Beautiful website has some useful information if you fancied having autumn flowering plants in your garden. They show some colourful photos of 25 different varieties to brighten up to darker autumn days.

House Beautiful website link

Alternatively, if you fancied looking out for autumn wildflowers then the Seeker website has information on flowers that you can spot on your nature wanders in America. Photographer’s Resource website shows flowers to spot in the UK.

Seeker website wildflower link

Photographer’s Resource website link