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Scout Scar on the cusp of winter

29/11/2022

Whitebeam rooted in the cliff-face

Veils of fog began to spread over the Lyth Valley, grew dense and rose up the cliff-face to flow over Scout Scar, and thicken. It was swift and enveloping.
'It's daunting, walking above the cloud,' someone confided.
I found it thrilling but I know this place in all weathers. Seeing a whitebeam rooted in the cliff face and leaning out into the fog I know where I am. I've photographed it often. Each autumn I look for those red fruits and admire the way these trees are anchored in the cliff-face.

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Whitbarrow in November light

22/11/2022

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Birch trees in sunlit Whitbarrow

A low November sun discovers colours rich and rare in autumn trees. A glimmering faerie light casts long shadows. The sun highlights time-sculpted stone on limestone terraces, suffusing WItherslack Hall in a soft glow and flooding the sea at Morecambe Bay with waves of brilliance. Out of November rains and gloom comes a day of wondrous light.

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Scout Scar through a November morning

20/11/2022

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The Langdale Pikes from Scout Scar

Far off, the Langdale Pikes showed in a warm and evocative light.
I might have given up and turned back since the path to Scout Scar was slippery with mud, high humidity soaked my hair and glasses steamed-up in seconds. The promised sun had shown at sunrise, and departed. The ridge lay in darkness but the distant fells showed in magical light. Cloudscapes were constantly changing and, at last, a dome of blue opened up above Scout Scar.

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Fieldfare on Helsington Barrows

14/11/2022

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Fieldfare high in a larch

Yesterday, I heard fieldfare in flight. Now I would conjure them and immerse myself in their aura.
At Helsington Church birds flew overhead with a brief contact call. So the search was on. They're often found high in the tops of larch, masquerading as cones. Low light and a screen of twigs conceal a scatter of birds then something startles them and a flock erupts in flight. When they feel safe they come down into yew trees to feed on red arils.
After that introductory moment at the church there was silence. Perhaps they'd gone.

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Walney Island in November

11/11/2022

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Piel Castle from South Walney

South Walney was an impulsive choice. Not sure I've been in November before and I'd wish to know this place I love in all seasons. The alchemy of season and weather was writ large on land and sea. Weeks of exceptionally mild temperatures (19 degrees today) and weeks of rain. From Ulverston we followed the coast road where waders fed close to the shore and soon we made out Piel Castle in the distance.

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Hornbeam: catkins and fruit

4/11/2022

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Male hornbeam catkins. 9th April 2022

'What are catkins?' he asked.
They're erect or pendent tassels of tiny flowers. Male catkins are striking, and so more familiar. Female catkins can be tiny and hard to see.
Hazel, alder, willow, oak, birch and bog myrtle have catkins. And this spring I discovered hornbeam catkins. I've long loved hornbeam's autumn fruit so I wonder how I'd overlooked the catkins. I found these trees on a bright and frosty morning so images show to advantage. To see the detailed structure and rich colours of the male catkins I had to come close.

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Sizergh Gardens in autumn

4/11/2022

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Spindle beside the lake at Sizergh

The early morning sun rapidly melted the first frost of the season. Floodwater overlay the Lyth Valley. Autumn winds and rain had stripped many trees of leaves and the sun was low in the sky and the quality of light was remarkable.
In the early afternoon rain-clouds swept across the valley and a painter took down his easel to protect his work. ' How do you cope with the light changing so dramatically,' I asked?
'Paint over it,' he replied.

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Scout Scar on the cusp of winter

Whitbarrow in November light

Scout Scar through a November morning

Fieldfare on Helsington Barrows

Walney Island in November

Hornbeam: catkins and fruit

Sizergh Gardens in autumn

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