drops of crimson

The ladybirds' quest for survival continues to impress me. Admittedly I have to search carefully for them but once found the crimson coats stand out, loud and proud. At this time of year the foliage tends to be dull and decaying so to come across these startling colours amidst all the muted colours is a prize in itself.

 I have to hand it to this one- a ready made nest in a tiny dead flower head...

mum and I were in competition to see who could find the most ladybirds huddled together-I'm sure I won of course...!

I was interested in the direct contrast of the smooth ladybird to it's spiky resting place

with this one I like the way the spots of the insects mirror the holes in the dried out leaves

this was taken directly into the light to pick up the almost translucent quality of the leaf

cold, bright January day

after weeks of mild but dull weather we have had a proper winter's weekend.Cold and crisp with lots of good light...

the ducks were quite content to rest in the shallows until Milo came bounding along...the reflections almost overload the senses in a wash of colour and movement

this robin is incredibly tame and very territorial-again Milo has the effect of making him take flight,the week before Frankie was literally nose to beak with him