Close-ups of Nature

Garden re-wilding Ground-level close-up of Cat's ear, Hypochaeris radicata , in our garden lawn in south-west Sheffield. Many gardeners would be horrified by this, as they would consider it a weed, invading their pristine mono-culture green sward. But we love its cheerful brightness, and the bees and butterflies do too! Good viewed large on black!

A wall next to a cottage in Ran Wood in Ryecroft Glen at the western end of Ecclesall Woods, Sheffield. I liked the glowing colour of the Common orange lichen Xanthoria parietina in the spring sunshine.

A Hornet hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) on Hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) in my garden in south-west Sheffield. Despite its fearsome appearance, this harmless insect is a true fly (Diptera) and not a hornet which it mimics wonderfully! At just over an inch (2.5 cm) long, this is the largest hoverfly found in the UK. It's range seems to be extending northwards in recent years.

Freshwater West, Gravel Bay and East Pickard Bay English stonecrop (Sedum angelicum) growing next to the coastal path on the west side of East Pickard Bay

Freshwater West, Gravel Bay and East Pickard Bay Moor Cliffs Formation in Gravel Bay. This photo shows a close-up view of the light purple sandstone bed with greenish laminae seen in the previous photo. The darker perpendicular features in the sandstone are trace-fossil Beaconites burrows. Having previously been tentatively ascribed to worm burrows or lung-fish burrows, they are now thought to have been made by primitive millipede-like animals. The bed is approx. 50 cm thick (top to bottom) in this photo. Background: The Moor Cliffs Formation overlies the Freshwater East conglomerates, seen in previous photos, and spans the boundary between the Silurian and Devonian periods. It consists of red mudstones and siltstones with occasional thin sandstone beds. These were deposited on a low-reflief floodplain at the edge of an arid continental margin, the sandstones being deposited by seasonal braided streams, the muds and silts deposited in ephemeral marginal lakes. When not inundated, the muds and silts developed carbonate-rich calcrete (caliche) soil horizons along dessication cracks, burrows and early plant root systems.

Freshwater West, Gravel Bay and East Pickard Bay Another close-up view of a conglomerate in the Freshwater East Formation (note name) at Gravel Bay, situated at the northern end of the large Freshwater West bay in south Pembrokeshire. The view is closely adjacent to the previous photo but without the lens cap for scale, as I didn't want it to distract from the lovely textures in this rock. The vertical dimension of the photo is about 40 cm. The Freshwater East Formation marks the beginning of 'Old Red Sandstone' type of sediments, formerly believed to be at the base of the Devonian, but now assigned to the uppermost Silurian. The pebbles and cobbles in the conglomerates mostly consist of white vein quartz and quartzite, grey sandstones and darker sitstones. These were depositied in an alluvial fan settting on a shallow floodplain in increasingly arid conditions.

Freshwater West, Gravel Bay and East Pickard Bay Close-up view of a conglomerate in the Freshwater East Formation (note name) at Gravel Bay, situated at the northern end of the large Freshwater West bay in south Pembrokeshire. The lens cap is 72 mm in diameter. The Freshwater East Formation marks the beginning of 'Old Red Sandstone' type of sediments, formerly believed to be at the base of the Devonian, but now assigned to the uppermost Silurian. The pebbles and cobbles in the conglomerates mostly consist of white vein quartz and quartzite, grey sandstones and darker sitstones. These were depositied in an alluvial fan settting on a shallow floodplain in increasingly arid conditions.

A misty winter's day walk in the woodland of the the Limb valley in south-west Sheffield. The grey overcast lighting made the colours on the woodland floor very bright and saturated.

Autumn colours in the Limb Valley on the south-west side of Sheffield.

Autumn colours in the Limb Valley on the south-west side of Sheffield.

Autumn colours in the Limb Valley on the south-west side of Sheffield.

Autumn colours in the Limb Valley on the south-west side of Sheffield.

Autumnal colours of the Virginia Creeper in my garden mingling with scarlet Geraniums. Best viewed large on black.

Autumnal colours of the Virginia Creeper in my garden mingling with green Leylandii and Ivy.

The fungal rust spots on the pear tree leaves remind me of the pleochroic halos often seen in biotite mica crystals in thin sections of rocks prepared for petrological microscopy. www.ucl.ac.uk/%7Eucfbrxs/PLM/zircon.html

Rain droplets on grass

Rain droplets on Columbine leaves in my garden.

Detail of a valerian seed head in my garden.