paintings by nature ...

It was a dark and louring morning on Bodmin moor; far in the distance Dartmoor was bathed in sun. It was like looking through a letterbox. As it turned out, the weather improved and the afternoon was warm and sunny which is a pity for all those who were put off from visiting us by such damp and miserable weather forecasts

bad hair day 1 (usnea barbata)

an ancient hawthorn completely enveloped by lichen. Is it 'liken' or 'litchen' or both? It certainly consumed one expensive Nikon lens cap. Hawthorns seem to be prone to these dramatic efflorescences (well, no flowers but what else can one call it ...hirsuitism), which are species of usnea and are common on isolated trees on Dartmoor and Bodmin moor.

North Hill Cornwall

the village of North Hill on the edge of Bodmin moor, in the Lynher valley. There is very little information available about North Hill but the church looks very like our own. And the local pub, the Race Horse Inn is very welcoming and has its own proper dog (labrador).

pale tussock

the female pale tussock (we think) moth posing for flash photography last night.

tormentil

yet another example of the tormentil cinquefoil complex, loads of very similar yellow flowers sent to torture amateur botanists, plus visitor.

heath spotted orchid

we went looking for bird's nest orchids in the beech woods but we could only find heath spotted orchids in the meadows. One day we will find a bird's nest orchid.