We keep walking despite the rain. Not the best weather for photos. The temperature has plunged to the 40s in Southern England, the sky is leaden and the wind is blustery. It's a holiday weekend here - so that's totally expected.
Update (in response to a comment):
This is a still closed furl of bracken - a big-ass fern. I fancied having some in a difficult spot in my garden, and planted some but then thought "Hmmm- this stuff covers a whole park, it grows in every nook and cranny, the deer can't kill it." So I chickened out -pulling the little fledgling things up. Turns out that was the right thing to do (from the Wikipedia entry):
bracken may be considered to be one of the most successful ferns. The plant sends up large, triangular fronds from a wide-creeping underground rootstock, and may form dense thickets. This rootstock may travel a metre or more underground between fronds. The fronds may grow up to 2.5 m (8 feet) long or longer with support, but typically are in the range of 0.6-2 m (2-6 feet) high
...snip....
It is a prolific and abundant plant in the highlands of British Isles. It causes such a problem of invading pastureland that at one time the British government had an eradication program. Special filters have even been used on some British water supplies to filter out the bracken spores.
1 comment:
What a beautiful photo. So, what the heck is it? Flora or fauna?
I kind of envy your weather right now. It's in the low 90's -- or maybe upper eighties -- and humid as hell, though we haven't seen rain in weeks. I broke down and put the sprinklers on the big beds this evening. My little watering can just wasn't cutting it anymore.
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