ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.
Another park trip with Anne - this time to Rouken Glen, situated on the south side of Glasgow near Thornliebank and a park I'm very familiar with as I grew up within walking distance of it.
Of all Glasgow's park ponds Rouken Glen is arguably the most scenic so although Anne had been here before she had never been over when the water lilies were out- which is a magical event- too good to miss. ( I am aware it's in East Renfrewshire before anyone pulls me up but it used to be under the Glasgow Parks umbrella for most of its existence and was a famed Edwardian jewel in the city crown and a big destination event in the era of tram cars.)
Waterlilies in full bloom.
White ones as well.
I've never seen it look so beautiful... or maybe the months of Covid 19 lock down made it seem extra special and fresh. Smaller yellow water lillies forming a mat here. There must be a squad of dedicated gardeners in Heaven though... and in Paradise... to keep some sort of order... as wild nature, left to its own devices, or sometimes affected by human tampering, is often in chaos. Always in flux...never a still picture for very long. When I looked this yellow version up to find out what it was this seemed to be Nymphoides or Floating Hearts, a species, like many others, introduced by keen gardeners with large estates on private ponds but now a vigorous out of control pest in North America, New Zealand, Ireland, The UK, Sweden etc etc due to its ability to form dense mats that cover the water surface.
A close up of it here. Presumably it joins Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and the Butterfly Bush on the invasive species list, plants that are already spreading out of control across the countryside. I do not remember seeing such a large mat of it before in this pond but Rouken Glen has had a reoccurring problem with duckweed covering its surface in a thick blanket in the summer months, aggravated by excessive feeding by folk throwing bread in for the wildlife. Too much to get eaten by the swans and ducks.
Hence 'The Big Duck' in most park ponds. This is what happens when you feed them too much... they increase in size!
Hypericum Inodorum here, I think, with lovely little cups and balls. Nature often astonishes you with its sheer complexity of design patterns. Different stages of flowering here although they look like two separate plants.
Peacock butterfly on a ragwort plant.... which to a hungry bird from this angle might be mistaken for the eyes of a large predator, like a cat, resulting in a hesitation, giving the insect a chance to escape.
The golden kingdom of bees. No prizes for guessing why I call this district 'the beautiful south'. It just is... 'Teddy bear' bees... the flying monkeys of this mini world. Don't you want to stroke them? Very soft fur. Take a million bees to make a wizard's coat in the days of Thea Philopator.
A parade of coneflowers. A feast for the senses. Good enough to eat?
Nectar Loving hoverfly. Unlike most of its unwanted persistent cousins that zoom into your house the minute a door gets opened in summer this little guy is a joy to have around and one of my favourite insects. They even land on my fingers with the right temptation. Completely harmless and easily identified from a wasp as they move very differently through the air.
A wasp in close up view.
I've always been in Eden... and you can live here as well... it's easy.
Sunlit wild dog rose.
The lush treasures of late July. My personal gold addiction I have to seek out and mine every year
Bee sheltering from heavy rain by hiding within a flower... as did we...for a while.... but this walk was not over.... it was now time to go back in time... down the rabbit hole with young Alice... a journey back to the early 1970s of my youth ... to be continued...
Red Clover after rain has passed. An impressionist view.
From one world of colour straight into another. An overused word but not on this occasion. This is truly mind blowing in every way. Complex, clever and stunningly brilliant. Like nothing I've ever seen before. The clue is in the title. Best watched full screen.
10 comments:
Stunning flower and insect photography.
What a superb park, so much color, not what you expect to see in an an urban park
Thank you Anabel,
just struck it lucky to be in the right place at the right time to capture them and they were in the mood, for once, to stay still.
Cheers Andy,
It has always been a gem of a park and big enough to avoid any crowds as it was fairly busy but you could still find quiet places and paths within it. Some of the flower photos were taken near the park on the other walk afterwards.
Those are really good photos - I'm not that good at close-ups of flowers as my eyes don't focus as well as they did now (and of course all my cameras are manual focus) and also I don't use a tripod so find it hard to keep still enough! The pink waterlilies are a particular delight.
I didn't know bees sheltered in flowers in heavy rain?
And hoverflies are one of my favourite creatures too - they always make me smile!
Cheers Carol,
these days I'm more than happy to avoid big hills and prefer flatter walks as long as they have plenty of colour and interest. I never use a tripod, just hand held shots which seem to come out ok. Hoverflies and damselflies, I personally believe, may be the inspiration behind fairies and the human heart motif. Same as mature Caledonian Pine bark can closely resemble how jigsaw puzzles lock together- is that just mere coincidence? The human urge to fly came from watching birds so how many other inventions/inspirations came directly from natural world observations. The harmless hoverfly closely imitating the shape and colour of a stinging wasp to be free from bird attack, and other examples, must have inspired early humans working in the fields to some degree of understanding.
Superb images Bob - and what a scenic spot....once again you've surprised me with the beauty to be found in urban settings
The reflections of the blue sky, the cotton wool clouds along with all of the water lilies are magical
Cheers Ian.
Thanks Rosemary.
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