A few straggling seeds still holding on after Storm Arwen. They look like they have been hand-painted by woodland folk!
The seedheads still offer a refuge for insects, but there is little left in the way of food for birds.
Fading glory.
About to face the wrath of Winter.
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London is a spectacular place. It is the largest botanical garden in the world – 300 acres of it to be precise. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and houses some 50,000 plants. It is a beautiful oasis of calm in a busy city and is also home to a lot of wildlife. There are many attractions and you can never see it all in a day. We decided just to go with the flow and wander, taking in a few ‘must sees.’
We started with the Rhododendron Walk or Dell. There are colours of rhododendrons in every conceivable colour and size, but interspersed along the walk are all manner of plants. Here the soft light emerges through the canopy of a large acer tree.
Among the damp, coolness of the dell were these beautiful yellow irises.
What I really like are the little paths leading off the main one, where you can have an adventure and make new discoveries. It is like a giant secret garden. There are many areas that have wildflowers too. Such as this cow parsley meadow.
The Giant Pagoda was built for the founder of the gardens – Princess Augusta and was completed in 1762.
In the Japanese Garden, there was a Peacock strutting about enjoying the attention.
I think my favourite place has to be the Temperate House. There are all kind of beautiful plants inside. We didn’t go into the Palm House on this visit, but that too is an amazing place if you can stand the heat!
The Temperate House was looking more established than our last visit. Here is a view of part of the giant glass house from the inside.
Did you know that ferns appeared on earth over 360 million years ago? Long before the dinosaurs...
A beautiful Bird of Paradise flower.
Back in the garden, a Eucalyptus tree grows lazily across a path at a 45 degree angle.
More cow parsley.
The tulips were still out at the end of May, following the coldest May in 25 years.
One of two lions overlooking a lake.
A view of the lake.
Wildlife.
The Waterlily House contains the giant Amazon waterlily. In Victorian times, children were photographed sitting on them.
Finally, this sculpture caught my eye. It is called Leaf Spirit by Simon Gudgeon. It almost seems to merge with the trees when the light shines.
We walked almost 6 miles. If you are a keen garden enthusiast or botanist and want to look in detail at everything, you probably need to spend a few days there!
The intense heat appears to give an eerie golden glow in the evening.
These looked like emerald, fairy lamps!
The late afternoon sun is reflected in the water droplets.
The raindrops gave a sparkling, bokeh effect.
The term ‘ancient woodland’ in itself conjures up something magical and mystical. It describes an area of woodland that has been in existence since the 1600’s. It has developed naturally with unique ecosystems and the woodland has not been disturbed by mankind. Sadly, these special places only account for 2.4% of the UK.
All the leaves on the trees were out in full – brand new, perfect leaves in that fresh shade of almost luminous green. They always look at their peak in May, before the colour slightly fades and the leaves get their lived-in appearance and become tatty looking as the Summer goes on.
The light was perfect, weaving its way through small patches and lighting up the ground where the leaves had not yet formed a complete canopy. It provided that beautiful dappled appearance, great for photography.
The first meteorological day of Winter is on December 1st. Some pictures to celebrate the end of the season.
Perfect light to capture those Autumnal colours.
Maple seeds soon to drop.
Cobweb in the sunlight.
Seed head blowing in the wind.
Light. That crucial factor in photography. The golden hour is the period of time just after sunrise or before sunset, which gives a beautiful, golden hue to landscape and portrait pictures. The low angle of the sun makes the shadows softer and longer. The diffused light can emphasize textures and produce specific effects. There’s something magical about capturing pictures with that golden glow.
Blossom backlit with a soft light.
The long shadows from the light give an additional focus to the crocuses.
The light appears gentler and diffused over the heather.
Floresphotographic 
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