Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Trees & Shrubs Page 4

Image Taken on 03 Mar 2007 at 10:37 Image of day on 13 Mar 2007

Relief to see a bee with all their recent woes. We have also had a few visiting the flowers in our conservatory come greenhouse.

Ref: 20070313_p34_20070303_1037_532 bee on cherry blossom(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 23 Apr 2013 at 10:22 Image of day on 06 Jun 2013

This isn't a bee - it is a Bee-Fly. The half dark wing is characteristic. It was a brief visit & these images 3 montaged together was all we got

Ref: 20130606_df1_20130423_1022_051+067+070 bee-fly feeding on cherry blossom (accurate montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 08 Apr 2023 at 12:47 Image of day on 19 May 2023

This Bee-fly is feeding by hovering in front of a blackthorn flower. The 'sharp' wing is just changing the direction of movement - the rest of the 20 or so pics of this moment have wings a blurry mess even at 1/1000th second exposure.

Ref: 20230519_df3_20230408_1247_170 bee-fly hovering to feed on blackthorn blossom (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Apr 2018 at 15:32 Image of day on 29 May 2018

We first spotted this Bee-fly flying around the shrubs in a sunny patch. Fortunately it landed on this desiccated Oak leaf, possibly to warm itself in the sun, and we caught this view with the interesting shadows of the wings.

Ref: 20180529_df3_20180414_1532_118 bee-fly perched on dead oak leaf with shadows of wings (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Apr 2023 at 15:49 Image of day on 19 May 2023

We didn't even know Bee-flies existed until we started seeing them here. This one is resting on one of last years fallen Oak Leaves. The proboscis at the front is clearly visible, and the structure of the wings is best seen in the shadow cast by the left wing.

Ref: 20230519_df3_20230403_1549_145 bee-fly resting on fallen oak leaf (1st of 2013)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Oct 2024 at 09:40 Image of day on 08 Dec 2024

The plastic rain gauge not only provided a water reading, but also a picture of this Birch Shieldbug - our first record of this species here.
Facing upwards in case the strange shape of Shieldbugs confuses you.

Ref: 20241208_r70_20241029_0940_039 birch shieldbug (elasmostethus interstinctus) near top edge of clear plastic rain gauge(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 07 Apr 2021 at 07:23 Image of day on 30 Apr 2021

A brief snow shower laid and stayed overnight, tempting us out to try to capture some feel for the changed landscape. Here is the weeping birch by the garage is delicately sprinkled with white.

Ref: 20210430_d73_20210407_0723_003 birch weeping silver in back garden lightly snow covered (orig & final)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Apr 2021 at 17:35 Image of day on 30 Apr 2021

The Weeping silver birch in the back garden is now smothered in Catkins.

Ref: 20210430_d73_20210403_1735_068 birch weeping silver in back garden with catkins (orig & final)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image of day on 17 Jul 2005

The 'black poplar' is our tallest tree and started as a cutting from a fallen branch 12 years ago. It is named Ivan's tree in memory of a good friend. Marie at the bottom allows us to calculate the height.

Ref: 20050717_p20_1010511 black poplar at ivans roundabout = 11,4m 2005may15_15-05-02(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Mar 2019 at 09:09 Image of day on 27 Apr 2019

Down our access track at least 90 year old Black Poplars each year make their Catkins and drop a slippery carpet of them on the concrete below. Seen close-up they are very pretty. The leaves don't emerge for some weeks after the Catkins are finished.

Ref: 20190427_df3_20190329_0909_041 black poplar catkin (about 5cm long) fallen onto concrete track below(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Apr 2014 at 10:22 Image of day on 26 May 2014

Black Poplars make & drop Catkins weeks before the trees leaf. Our 24 year old trees (all grown from 'cuttings') have started to make catkins of their own. This one has fallen (or been chewed or pecked off) complete with the sheath. The Red colour is a characteristic of the Black Poplar Catkin.

Ref: 20140526_p10_20140405_1022_763 black poplar catkin (near n end of east path) still in case (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Mar 2011 at 12:59 Image of day on 23 Apr 2011

We have 4 male Black Poplars along our track to the road. There are very few female Black Poplars about because they apparently have a pungent smell in Spring. Thus the species is only propagated by cuttings - we have about 6 20 year only trees including our tallest tree, all from cuttings from a fallen branch long before we knew the significance. The wood is terribly brittle - every year several branches of the old trees will break in the autumn storms.
Anyway, they produce catkins a bit later than willow, but don't leaf for several weeks & you start to wonder if they have all died - each year! The catkins are a beautiful red-pink-orange-yellow mix and look like tiny discarded garlands after a mouse party. Here one found on the ground in pristine condition.

Ref: 20110423_p34_20110329_1259_686 black poplar catkin fallen from tree (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 01 May 2013 at 13:03 Image of day on 10 Jun 2013

2 days later the Black Poplar catkins are hanging more open and the vivid red is fading.

Ref: 20130610_a77_20130501_1303_003 black poplar catkins (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 06 Apr 2012 at 07:28 Image of day on 29 Apr 2012

This is a detail of the lovely catkins that form on Black poplar trees. They fall long before the leaves emerge. Black Poplar are either male or female - ours and possibly all that are left are males - the females are said to smell badly at times of the year and were not planted. We propagated ours by cuttings from fallen branches, although this is a low branch on a tree planted about 1938.

Ref: 20120429_df1_20120406_0728_042 black poplar catkins (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Apr 2013 at 07:09 Image of day on 10 Jun 2013

The Black-Poplar trees (all males nowadays because the flowering females emit an offensive smell & didn't get planted) this year produce a fabulous show of Catkins giving the trees a red haze for a couple of days.

Ref: 20130610_df1_20130429_0709_111 black poplar catkins on several twigs (orig)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Apr 2013 at 07:09 Image of day on 10 Jun 2013

Ref: 20130610_df1_20130429_0709_114 black poplar catkins twig detail (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 08 Apr 2020 at 07:27 Image of day on 20 Apr 2020

Black Poplar trees make these attractive maroon and yellow Catkins weeks before the first leaves appear.

Ref: 20200420_d73_20200408_0727_231 black poplar tree catkins(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Sep 2011 at 13:49 Image of day on 22 Nov 2011

The Black Rustic moth appears almost black at rest, and the first time you see it fly it is quite a shock when the white rear wing is exposed. Its probably the normal 'don't be seen, and if you are seen, startle the hunter'.

Ref: 20111122_da1_20110929_1349_134+1445_234_ft1 black rustic moth (aporophyla nigra) in flight with hawthorn twig (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 11 Aug 2017 at 08:07 Image of day on 26 Sep 2017

Late summer starts the fruiting season - Blackberries fruits ripen in relays over the coming weeks.

Ref: 20170926_df3_20170811_0807_011 blackberries (fixed scale)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 25 Jun 2023 at 12:37 Image of day on 18 Aug 2023

The Blackberry plants are all starting to flower.
Flower petals range from white to the deep pink we see here.

Ref: 20230818_df3_20230625_1237_079 blackberry blossom with pink petals(r+mb id@768).jpg

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