Mists and mellow fruitfulness

There's little point in photographing mists, of which we've had quite a lot recently, but the mellow fruitfulness of autumn is well to the fore. Here are hawthorn and rowan berries waiting for the thrushes to arrive. But don't anyone dare try and say that they are forecasting a hard winter as some country 'lore' pretends. The berry crop is a reflection of past growing conditions going back a year or even more.
Malcolm

Hawthorn

Rowan

 

Rowan

After last autumn's dearth of berries, with the late May storm having stripped off all the blossom, it's good to see a plentiful supply of bird food this year.
Malcolm

Recovery from the storm

I posted a photograph of a completely brown Rowan tree just after the May 23rd storm with all its leaves scorched by the salt. While some trees and bushes show little or no recovery (leading to a few visitors asking us what disease all our trees are suffering from!), others, like this Rowan, photographed again today, are sprouting new green leaves.
Malcolm


28th May 2011





29th June 2011



Storm damage

Summer gales on Islay (and the wind reached over 70 mph in gusts last Monday) plus the salt they carry badly scorch young leaves at this time of year or, in the case of many sycamores and ash trees, strip them right off. The apple trees in my garden just make me want to weep! Here are three examples of wind damage from near Foreland.
Malcolm

Hawthorn bush

Oak, birch, sycamore and beech

Rowan tree