In the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve

Eristalis tenax enjoying some autumn thistle.

Hoverflies

A hoverfly after pollen.

Wildlife of Bradley Stoke - Large Skipper

Emptiness

You talk to the void,
No reply, just a gentle whisper of the wind.
No echo, just a gentle diffusion into infinity.
No horizon, land and sky blurred together.
No love, feelings flow without a dam to bridge.

Whiteness is what comes to mind,
But white is all colours present, mixing in equal parts.
Take them away, one by one, colours, sight, sound;
Blackness, emptiness.

Dragonflies and sunny weather in Harry Stoke

Sunny weather in Harry Stoke at the nature pools. Look carefully and you can see dragonflies and their reflections in the water. Dragonfly extruva were also visible on the iris's. The pond is full of tadpoles, and there are mating damselflies in almost their hundreds. At least two large dragonfly species are present, including the Broad-bodied Chaser.

Odd stinging nettle

I spotted this stinging nettle in a local hedgerow - the leaf had been turned through 180 degrees, and the central stem was bright red and swollen. What could have caused it - is it some kind of infection?

2016 Rainfall

Rainfall through 2016. Rainfall for the year was round about average, although December was about half as dry as usual.

A surface plot of rainfall over the past seven years. It allows a comparison of the different peaks and troughs and when they occur.