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

Halloween Apples

Halloween Apples

Halloween festivities have many connections to the natural world. When the Romans came to Britain they brought with them their goddess Pomona. She was the goddess of fruit and trees.  The Celts celebrated their New Year at this time. It is likely that the Roman and Celtic combined their beliefs. One of Pomona’s symbols was an apple. One thing that lots of children enjoy is bobbing for halloween apples. According to tradition the first to bite into an apple would be the first person to marry. An alternative version is to have an apple hanging from a string, rather than floating in water. Also, another custom is to peel the apple, and the longer the skin that came off in one piece, the longer you would live, or the shape of the peel could predict the letter of your future spouse.

On my woodland wanderings recently, I have come across apples scattered across the leaf litter. Some had clearly been there for a while, and there was a distinct smell of vinegar. There were so many different colours on their skins. One looked as though it had veins, and was very halloween like in its appearance. Nature really is the best artist.

Owls in the woods

Owls in the woods.

It is not often that you hear owls in the woods. Yesterday, I went for a woodland wander. I went off the beaten track for a while and got, some would say, slightly lost. I was really surprised by how quickly the light level dropped. The wood was some distance from a built up area, and as a result, little light pollution, so it got dark really quickly. Luckily, I had taken a torch with me (always useful for lighting up photos). The sections which had fir trees in got dark the first. I knew that I had to get back to a main track somehow, and quickly. It was when the light level had dropped to needing a torch, that I first heard them.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of the owls last night, even though there was still some light, I just heard their calls. There appeared to be several, as their calls were coming from both sides of the track. It was as thought they were having an early evening conversation with each other about the adventures that they were going to have later on. With the low light levels; the dropping air temperature; and the owl calls, it was making for quite a spooky atmosphere.

The Barn Owl Trust website has lots of information regarding owls, their appearance and identifying noises. This makes for an interesting read. I think that it was a several Tawny Owls that I heard because their “hoohoos’ sounded like the ones from the website link. I really enjoyed listening to them out in the wild. It was quite nice to think that there was some other creature out there keeping me company, because the world can suddenly become a scary place…

The Barn Owl Trust website link

Hibernating Frogs

Hibernating frogs

Hibernating frogs has been a hot topic in our household today. There had been much debate as to what happens to them during the colder winter months. On my woodland wanders I have stumbled across frogs in their tadpole state in the spring, and found them jumping around amongst the mosses in the summer. I have also got a friend who has frogs in their garden pond, who I discovered basking in the autumn sun the other day. What happens to frogs in the winter season, I am unsure of. Having only begun forest bathing this year, I can’t remember spotting frogs when the weather is colder, or even considered what may happen to them.

If in doubt of subject knowledge then I find that the best place to turn to is of course a book or the Internet. I found a wonderful website website called BBC Wildlife which gives an interesting explanation. It also clarifies the difference between frogs and toads. Apparently, frogs hibernate when temperatures drop below zero. The male frogs dig in to the bottom of the pond and breathe through their skin. Female and immature frogs hibernate under leaves and any natural debris that they can find. So, the question of do, or where do frogs hibernate has been solved.

BBC Wildlife website link

Halloween preparations in nature.

Halloween preparations in nature.

It is fun to see that nature is also getting ready for Halloween. There are misty mornings, creating eery settings. Spiders are creating webs for the mist to hang upon, and tangle around us whenever we venture into the garden. They are also quite large now, as they scurry across our carpets to find a warm, dry place to be for the winter. Mushrooms are everywhere, with many now turning black and creepy as they have passed their best. Apples have fallen off the woodland trees several weeks back, and are rotting amongst the leaf litter. Also, pumpkins are ready to be picked and displayed around the home, or eaten.

When you are forest bathing you should use all of your senses. Nature is definitely providing something for all of these. The smells of leaf litter, rotting apples and fruit. You can hear the creaking of the trees in the high winds and the scurrying and scratching of the eager squirrels racing up the trees collecting acorns. The sight of the leaves fluttering down out of the corner of your eye and their amazing shades of oranges, yellows and browns. You can taste and feel the mist upon your lips and face, especially if the spider’s web clings menacingly across your face as you wander through the autumn forest.

 

Forest bathing fungi

Forest bathing fungi.

This weekend, I went out on yet another forest bathing fungi discovery session. I know that a lot of the fungi are coming to the end of their spotting season, so I couldn’t resist having another forage in the undergrowth. I wasn’t disappointed, as once again there were little beauties popping out from underneath the leaf litter. As you know, I am no expert in identification, but I do love their amazing array of colours, shapes and sizes.

 

Along with growing on the woodland floor, I also found different varieties growing on trees. Some of the trees were still alive, and others were fallen and were covered in moss, which gave a lovely photographic setting for the fungus.

  

My favourite mushrooms for colour, have to be Fly Agaric and Amethyst Deceiver. Although these mushrooms seems to be harder to find now, as we are heading towards the end of October.

 

For texture, I have loved finding the Common Puffball with their bumpy surface. I don’t know whether it is because they are so white, as well, but to me they look very clinical.

 

Snails

Snails

Snails are fascinating creatures. Their variety in shell colour and their ability, it would seem, to get everywhere. Only this morning, I looked out of my bedroom window to see one staring back in at me. As it is getting to that damp time of year you begin to see more of them out and about “zooming” across footpaths.

The Snail World website has many interesting facts about them. It explains how some hibernate during the colder months. How you can tell their age by the size of its shell. That most snails are hermaphrodites. Also, that they tend to live between 2-5 years.

Snail World Website link

Last year, I discovered some snail eggs in the garden and checked every day so that I could see them when they hatched out. It was unbelievable how tiny they were, and very cute of course. You just never know what you are going to find, when you have the time to stop and look.