Past Glories

It is now thirteen months since I started this blog, and have now published photographs of Milton Country Park throughout one full year. Before the start of this project, I had occasionally taken photographs in the park, but not on any systematic basis. I thought it would be a good idea to look back at some of these previous images and what had caught my eye.

Snow and Ice

Dickerson's Pit - 7 December 2010

The most notable feature of the year just gone was the complete lack of snow and ice. Such weather transforms the landscape and sends everyone, including myself, searching for their cameras to capture often magical scenes. This first image was taken in December 2010. A beautiful frosty scene with the ducks and gulls confined to a small area of clear water against a backdrop of trees glistening white with rime. A real contrast to the virtually identical picture from this winter which I published in my last post.

Dickerson's Pit - 25 December 2010

A few days later and the snow came. This is the closest I have ever come to experiencing a white Christmas. On the day itself, the remains of previous snow falls are still lying on top of the ice surrounded by the flaming orange of reeds and willow bushes catching the winter sun.

After this last warm wet winter it is hard to imagine such scenes, and wonder if, with global warming, we shall see ever them again.

Toadstools

By Hall's Pond - 10 November 2011

A number of other things turned up in these old pictures that either were not there in the past twelve months or I simply missed them. One such absentee was fungi. In July 2011, I found these toadstools growing at the base of one of the many fallen logs in the park. I am reasonably certain that these were not there this last year as I am interested in the plant communities that grow in these place, and was always on the look out for the opportunity for capturing intimate landscapes of the flora.

Hall's Pond - 9 January 2007

Previously, in 2007, I had captured this fine specimen on the willow trees by Hall's Pond. In this case, I cannot be anything like so certain that I simply did not see them.

Loosestrife - Purple and Yellow

 

Hall's Pond - 31 July 2007

 

Plants come and go. Some of the variations in flora are simple annual fluctuations reflecting to the differences in weather between one year and the next. Other changes are more permanent, as one species becomes dominant and edges out other plants in the immediate area. This is probably the case with this stand of purple loosestrife on the east bank of Hall's Pond. There is still a lot of loosestrife in the park, and still some around Hall's Pond, but this particular clump has been overgrown with reeds.

Dickerson's Pit - 24 July 2007

In another area, purple loosetrife has edged out the yellow loosestrife that what growing there in 2006. I was never entirely happy with this picture, but will have to be satisfied as the yellow loosestrife appears to have gone for ever, replaced by its purple cousin and meadow sweet.

Next: Review