• Home
  • about
  • about the photographs
  • Rhos-on-Sea
    • St.Trillo’s Chapel
  • Bryn Euryn Local Nature Reserve
  • Bryn Pydew Nature Reserve
  • Mynydd Marian
  • Coed Pwllycrochan Wood
  • Rhiwledyn Nature Reserve
    • Grey Seals in North Wales
  • Great Orme
  • Llanddwyn Island & Newborough Warren
  • The Wales Coast Path
  • Wildflowers of Coastal Paths, Cliffs and Dunes

everyday nature trails

everyday nature trails

Tag Archives: spangle gall

Mellow autumn

23 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by theresagreen in Butterflies of Wales, calcareous grassland, coastal habitat, coastal walks, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature of woodlands, nature photography, Wildflowers of Wales

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

autumn woodland, Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, common buzzard, eyebright, galls on back of oak leaves, hawthorn berries, silver birch, spangle gall, speckled wood, St John's Wort, wildflowers of Bryn Euryn

Me it delights in mellow autumn tide,                                                                       To mark the pleasaunce that my eye surrounds,                                                 The forest trees like coloured posies pied,                                                            The uplands mealy grey and russet grounds;                                                Seeking for joy where joyaunce most abounds…….                                                                                from Autumn by John Clare

Autumn certainly has been joyous this year and even the blustery tail-end effects of hurricane Gonzalo have failed to provoke most of our habitual complaints about the weather. Temperature-wise, a  walk I took on Bryn Euryn just a couple of weeks ago felt more like early summer than approaching winter and although many of the signs of autumn were in place, there were a surprising number of wildflowers in bloom and butterflies, bees and various flies on the wing.

Quarry-field cliff crowned with autumn colours

Quarry-field cliff crowned with autumn colours

Teasel  seed-heads amongst thistles

A prickly selection – teasel seed-heads amongst thistles

The woodland tracks are covered with layers of dried fallen leaves that rustle when stepped upon and the soft musky scent of their decaying matter fills the air.

Sun-dappled woodland track covered with dry fallen leaves

Sun-dappled woodland track covered with dry fallen leaves

Wild clematis is prolific throughout the reserve and curtains of the fluffy dried seed-heads is draped over vegetation of varying heights and is living up to its common name of Old Man’s Beard.

Fluffy seed heads of wild clematis or 'old man's beard'

Fluffy seed heads of wild clematis or ‘old man’s beard’

The individual seed-heads are prettily composed and shine silver in the sunlight.

141002(6)TGNW-Bryn Euryn-Old man's beard close-up

Clusters of silvery filaments make up a seed-head of wild clematis

The bountiful crops of haws on the hawthorn trees are still untouched by birds and have turned a rich ruby red.

Rich pickings still to come for hungry birds

Rich pickings still to come for hungry birds

Hawthorn leaves also turning red

Hawthorn leaves also turning red

Although there are bountiful berry crops, the oak trees do not seem to have produced many acorns this season.

Oak tree with bracken in the foreground

Oak tree with bracken in the foreground

Oak leaves turning colour

Oak leaves turning colour

There are ‘crops’ of spangle galls though.

141002(17)TGNW-Bryn Euryn- Spangle galls on oak leaves

Spangle galls on oak leaves

Before climbing up the steep track through the woods on the way to the summit I sat for a few minutes on a rock to note down what I’d seen so far and was scrutinised for a few seconds by a buzzard that flew in over the treetops. This is a favoured spot of the locally resident buzzard, known to local visitors to the site as Lucifer and if you are here for any length of time you have to be quite unlucky not to get at least a glimpse of him here. He was accompanied by his mate today and didn’t linger, moving away in a leisurely circling kind of way towards Penrhyn Hill and the Little Orme.

Buzzards circling Penrhyn Hill

Buzzards circling Penrhyn Hill

I noted: ” I’m sitting on one of my favourite rocks. It’s around noon, the sun is high in a blue sky with just the faintest wash of wispy white cloud and is so hot I can feel it burning my legs through my jeans. The grassy areas have all been cut but a few wildflowers in bloom including rockrose, harebell & a bit of hogweed. There are butterflies, mostly speckled woods, but also a red admiral. Drone flies come to bask on the sun-warmed rocks and several wasps are seeking available food sources. Birds are still fairly quiet, I’ve heard the occasional song of a Robin and Blue and Great Tits calling to one another as they flit around foraging for food, but apart from the ever-present Crows everything else is keeping a low profile.”

Moving onwards and upwards along the track that leads out onto the ‘downland’ side of the hill I could hear drying leaves crackling in the heat of the sun. On the woodland edge there were several speckled woods flitting about, pausing often to settle on oak leaves. All appeared to be dark in colour and were not fully basking, but holding their wings partially closed.

Speckled Wood basking on an oak leaf

Speckled Wood basking on an oak leaf

I photographed another insect here too: it looked like a small bee but was behaving more like a hoverfly.

Cute insect looking like a small bee and behaving like a hoverfly

Cute insect looking like a small bee and behaving like a hoverfly

There is a beautiful silver birch tree on the woodland edge. Its leaves are beginning to turn colour and it has attractive fruiting catkins that look like a bit like a small slender fir cone from which, during the winter and aided by birds, tiny winged nutlets will be released.

141002(26)TGNW-Bryn Euryn- Silver birch fruits

Silver birch leaves and fruiting bodies

141002(27)TGNW-Bryn Euryn- Silver birch fruit

Close up of fruiting body

The grass has been cut on the hillside too and the ground is criss-crossed with a lattice of bramble stems. There are a few plants of the wild Goldenrod still in flower, while others have gone to seed.

Goldenrod-Solidago virgaurea

The dry flower head with seeds attached looks as pretty as the fresh flower.

Goldenrod gone to seed

Goldenrod gone to seed

There was a fair amount of scabious still in flower and was attracting a busy little Carder Bee.

Scabious still flowering

Scabious still flowering

There were a few eyebright plants still with their usual white flowers, and one that I came upon had pretty pink-purple edged petals with a yellow patch in the centre.

Eyebright with purple-pink edged petals

Eyebright with purple-pink edged petals

The views from the hillside were outstanding today as it was perfectly clear and bright which rarely happens in the summer months.

Looking down onto woodland across the hillside. Carneddau Mountains in the background

Looking down onto woodland across the hillside. Carneddau Mountains in the background

Little Orme & Penrhyn Bay village

Little Orme & Penrhyn Bay village

The sea was almost flat calm and in as many shades of blue as I have ever seen it.

The sea in many shades of blue

The sea in many shades of blue

Looking down the coast to Abergele & Rhyl

Looking down the coast to Colwyn Bay, Abergele & Rhyl

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Like this:

Like Loading...
Follow everyday nature trails on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

MOST RECENT POSTS

  • Conwy Marine Walk February 15, 2022
  • Blowing Away the Cobwebs January 26, 2022
  • On the Trail of the Jackdaws of Conwy Town January 17, 2022
  • The Butterfly Effect July 31, 2021
  • Wintergreens January 17, 2021
  • The Wilds behind the Sea Wall August 18, 2020

OLDER POSTS

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING IN PARTICULAR?

MY WILDFLOWER BLOG: where the wildflowers are

Snowdrop

Snowdrop

Winter Heliotrope

Winter Heliotrope

MY SPANISH BLOG: nightingale trails

The Walk of the Monarch Butterfly-Sendero de la Mariposa Monarca

The Walk of the Monarch Butterfly-Sendero de la Mariposa Monarca
Follow everyday nature trails on WordPress.com

Social

  • View teresamaygreen’s profile on Twitter
'But it is the common species that keep the living world ticking over and provide most of our experiences of wildlife, and I would argue that maintaining the abundance of these is as important a conservation priority as maintaining the existence of rarities'. Richard Mabey

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Top Posts & Pages

  • Pretty prickly Thistles
    Pretty prickly Thistles
  • The Foxglove - of Fairytales, Myths & Medicine
    The Foxglove - of Fairytales, Myths & Medicine
  • Butterflies of the Great Orme
    Butterflies of the Great Orme
  • Seeing red and black
    Seeing red and black
  • Wales Coast Path-Colwyn Bay to Pensarn
    Wales Coast Path-Colwyn Bay to Pensarn
  • Wildflowers of Coastal Paths, Cliffs and Dunes
    Wildflowers of Coastal Paths, Cliffs and Dunes
  • Grey Seals in North Wales
    Grey Seals in North Wales
  • St.Trillo's Chapel
    St.Trillo's Chapel
  • Cuckoo-spit and the amazing Froghopper
    Cuckoo-spit and the amazing Froghopper
  • Bryn Pydew
    Bryn Pydew

MY WILDFLOWER BLOG

where the wildflowers are

Recent Posts: nightingale trails

The Walk of the Monarch Butterfly-Sendero de la Mariposa Monarca

Wildflowers and Nightingales

Breakfast with Lesser Kestrels

Asphodels

The Mediterranean Steps in Spring

Blogs I Follow

  • Know Your London
  • Wildonline.blog
  • definearth
  • sunshine and celandines
  • restlessjo
  • Art in Nature
  • Travels With My Aunt
  • Ray Cannon's nature notes
  • Lyreades
  • Discovering Belgium
  • westmediterraneanflora.wordpress.com/
  • wadertales
  • letting nature back in
  • Bug Woman - Adventures in London
  • Becky in Portugal
  • the crone
  • Eat Starch
  • ultimatemindsettoday
  • earthstar
  • One World, Two Feet
  • Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog
  • arctic-cycler.com
  • Everything Digital
  • NavasolaNature
  • This and That Continued
  • Back to Spain
  • Nature on the Edge
  • Naturanaute
  • Brandon Hill Nature Blog
  • alder & ash
  • Winging It
  • Gardening Jules
  • GeoTopoi
  • Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK)
  • Life in Kawagoe
  • Say It With A Camera
  • a green bough in my heart
  • Science on the Land
  • Dreaming In Stitches
  • 3rdstorey.wordpress.com/

Website Built with WordPress.com.

Know Your London

A good place to find out about the history of Inner London. There’s no fake-history on this Website.

Wildonline.blog

British Wildlife & Photography

definearth

writing about the environmental issues nobody is writing about.

sunshine and celandines

These are a few of my favourite things.

restlessjo

Roaming, at home and abroad

Art in Nature

The ‘Beauty of the Moment’

Travels With My Aunt

Random notes on the travels of a Welshman who has been allowed out to play after finishing his chores. OK so I don't travel with my Aunt, but I am usually under the adult supervision of my long suffering wife.

Ray Cannon's nature notes

Every picture tells a story

Lyreades

Discovering Belgium

Tips to explore this fascinating country!

westmediterraneanflora.wordpress.com/

widlfowers in the western mediterranean

wadertales

letting nature back in

at home and further afield

Bug Woman - Adventures in London

Because a community is more than just people

Becky in Portugal

The Joy of Slow Travel

the crone

opening the door to ideas

Eat Starch

Easy vegan food

ultimatemindsettoday

A great WordPress.com site

earthstar

a celebration of nature

One World, Two Feet

Explorers sharing adventures from around the globe.

Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog

Mindfulness, Philosophy, Spirituality, Meditation, Awareness, Religion, Nature Photography

arctic-cycler.com

arctic-cycler goes global.

Everything Digital

Some of my own digital photography and inspiration for my textile art - 'Hellebore Textiles'

NavasolaNature

Nature needs Nurture

This and That Continued

Jenny Diski - Writing and stuff.

Back to Spain

Spanish recipes, travel + more

Nature on the Edge

Wildlife photography along the urban edge

Naturanaute

Plants and people, from urban jungles to lush rainforests

Brandon Hill Nature Blog

Documenting Bristol's urban wildlife in and around Brandon Hill Nature Park - home of Cabot Tower and Bristol's oldest urban park

alder & ash

A permaculture plot in Suffolk

Winging It

Feathery fumblings from amateur birders

Gardening Jules

Birds, Bees, Flowers, Trees - Organic & Wildlife Friendly Gardening

GeoTopoi

Places and photographs

Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK)

Coastalwalker.co.uk - walking around the British coastline, very SLOWLY.

Life in Kawagoe

Japanese daily sight

Say It With A Camera

Mike Hardisty Photography

a green bough in my heart

- rambles from a lover of nature, and the nature of things

Science on the Land

Dreaming In Stitches

a mingled yarn

3rdstorey.wordpress.com/

Graphic designer based in Sydney Australia, that isn't much for words and all about pictures.

  • Follow Following
    • everyday nature trails
    • Join 353 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • everyday nature trails
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: