A bizarre mixture for this time of year.
Bright and warm (11 degrees).
I certainly wasn't expecting to see a hoverfly in February. This is the first insect picture with the new lens. Eristalis tenax - male.
A little shot of the compound eyes:
This was actually what I was looking for: the female flower of the Hazel. The embryonic nut is smaller than a grain of rice.
But this is just ridiculous: Bramble flowers on 2nd February. The winter has been so mild that last year's growth hasn't died back and plants are just continuing to develop without having to start from scratch on new growth.
I heard a Buzzard overhead and took this speculative shot.
Dandelions have flowered all through the winter, but only now are the specimens presentable.
My first thought was Blackthorn, but there wasn't a thorn in sight on this plant or several adjacent ones. One of the other Prunus species.
The moss Ulota crispa on Hazel.
