Bits and Bobs

It's been a bit of a struggle to get out with the camera much recently, with work for our village community group and the inevitable dog walking swallowing up time (although I did spot a purple heron last weekend probably my rarest find to date and certainly my best dog walking spot.  A real birder found and reported it a few days later.  No pic's though).  I grabbed another half hour with the early purple orchids - the sun was a bit bright and they are in an area recently cleared so there's a lot of bits to catch the eye in the background.  I didn't expect the colour range though, and some of the pinks were really very attractive.  The last pic was framed against a tree and should have been taken from 6" further back to show the full height, but frustratingly I haven't learned how to move the tree in my back yet!  That's what happens when you snap flowers with your bird lens.

I was hugely jealous to see Brian Davis snap of Lady's Slipper orchids here - I wasn't aware there were places you could go to see them, although I know there are now quite a few sites where they grow, presumably closely watched.

Also around a few remaining bluebells which seem to have gone on forever this year, a violet and a euphorbia.

I really should put some more time and effort into taking flower pictures.  I recently came across the New Shoots website  set up in part by Jodie Randall a young photographer I met some years ago while snapping water voles at Cromford.  Her pictures and many of the others on the site show how art and wildlife pictures can be combined.  All young snappers (but some serious gear in use - I'm 30 working years older and flinch at the costs!) there is some real talent around.

To close I finally snapped a bee fly - while dog walking.