Images of the Arty Kind -2011

[FrazerHenderson]

Paddy

They are on a former shale bing (spoil heap). Pine trees, rowans and blackberry were planted but as I understand lupins were not planted as part of the restoration project. I believe that someone must simply have taken some seeds from plants that are growing on nearby former railway lines and scattered/dropped a few. The lupins have only been present about 10 years and have grown from just a few plants to a patch of well over a couple of acres.

Frazer

[Paddy Tobin]

Frazer,

That's amazing and brilliant. It must look great.

Paddy

[jomowi]

Paddy

They are on a former shale bing (spoil heap). Pine trees, rowans and blackberry were planted but as I understand lupins were not planted as part of the restoration project. I believe that someone must simply have taken some seeds from plants that are growing on nearby former railway lines and scattered/dropped a few. The lupins have only been present about 10 years and have grown from just a few plants to a patch of well over a couple of acres.

Frazer

Fraser, I'm sure you know the local bings well, but for the benefit of others they are home to some interesting plants, often arisen spontaneously like some of the helleborines.  They seem to tolerate (require?) the toxic elements which are present from the former industrial processes from which the bings were created.  Not a million miles from where I recently moved to is to be found the rare Epipactis helleborine v. youngiana.  On the same bing I have never seen so many plants of Listera (now Neottia) ovata (common twayblade) - they are there in their thousand, and quite gross at around 60 cm tall, unlike the dainty specimens to be found on sand dunes etc.  Unfortunately, the photos I have are in slide form, and I don't have the techno. savvy to convert them.  When August comes, I intend to go there and take them on digital.  Watch this space.....  These helleborines are also to be found on the industrial waste sites in the Newcastle area.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Never post some pictures here but I give it a trie .....

Rhodendron keiskei . Picture from prevoious weekend in the early morning ...

[daveyp1970]

Newcastle at night

[Peter Maguire]

Lovely picture Davey - you seem to have found Newcastle on a quiet night, can't see any of the usual party animals around. 

[Paddy Tobin]

Kris,

Your photograph reminds me of a talk at our local photography club where a speaker insisted that you should never photograph a flower without first using a water sprayer to have water droplets on the blossom. Yours look perfectly natural.

Paddy

[ArnoldT]

Davey:

There must be some celebrating tonight in Newcastle.

[ranunculus]

Super shots everyone ...


Yesterday we paid another brief visit to one of our favourite local beauty spots; Tandle Hill (near Royton in Lancashire), for a pleasant stroll in the sunshine.  The place looks deserted, but in fact there were families and dog-walkers in abundance.

[Paddy Tobin]

Beautiful location, Cliff. Great images, capture it so well.

Paddy

[Paul T]

Those moss covered trees are amazing, Cliff.  I love that water course as well.  Beautiful.

[Hoy]

A romantic trip in the wood, Cliff!

Here you have shades:

[Paddy Tobin]

Good one, Trond. One of those fleeting moments; so lovely to capture it. Paddy

[Peter Maguire]

Here's a picture from earlier this summer. The Aiguille du Midi above Chamonix taken through a telephoto lens from the table of the mountain restaurant in the next valley where we were having lunch. 

[Paul T]

Wow, what a picture!!