Flame tree and burning bush…

I always thought Vincent van Gogh’s cypress trees looked flame-shaped – so I’ve corrected the colour…

Trees are green, right? So I suppose it’s not surprising that people have taken notice when a tree is red. And many times on different continents they have likened it to fire. So here I am going to look at the various flame trees and burning bushes…

Fire and water – my Euonymus alatus leaves after rain this week…

I’ll tell you what got me thinking about this – it was my Euonymus alatus – also

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September garden snapshots…

Sunny Rudbeckia Tiger Eye Gold, still in its pot, having been bought in August…

Although I still have a couple of summer trips from Dorset and West Wales left to share, I thought it was time to put on record what has been going on in my own garden, too.

This time last year we were having a heatwave in the UK, but this September has

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Trees of the riverbank…

Beside the River Taff in Cardiff, November 30, 2011

Last Wednesday there was a national strike of public-sector workers in the UK, which meant no Cardiff buses.

But it was a lovely crisp, sunny morning, so I walked to work along the bank of the River Taff and took these pictures of some

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Turning over an old leaf…

Fallen leaves from the backyard - sycamore on the left and field maple on the right...

Sycamore or maple? I have always had trouble identifying these trees, but hadn’t thought of tackling my ignorance until I read a recent Lucy Corrander blog post – as she also seems to have the same problem.

So bad is my confusion that

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Three treasures of November

This picture of my Liquidambar was taken using my iPhone camera after rain - not a bad shot, really...

This year the grey November is lit up by three of my favourite plants, all coinciding in time thanks to the mixed-up weather we have these days.

Don’t ask me

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Last scraps of summer colour…

Fallen Fuchsia flower...

My garden is an autumn mess, but I took these pictures a fortnight ago, in mid October, while there were still one or two scraps of summer colour remaining.

Now many of these flowers are gone. Soon

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Popcorn Hydrangea Ayesha pops out at last

A solitary bee on Hydrangea Ayesha...

A while back I wrote about mophead Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla). At the time I feared

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Diadem weavers of goose summer…

The orb webs of Araneus diadematus in a city garden in early autumn

I always thought the word gossamer just meant spider silk. But now I know where the word comes from, I see it specifically refers to the fine threads that blow and glitter on the breeze on sunny days at this autumn time of year.

The Middle English word was gossomer, perhaps from “goose summer”, a time of year when

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A couple of late September insects…

Phlogophora meticulosa or angle shades moth in the kitchen, September 28, 2011

Just a quick post to put on record two observations yesterday.

This moth flew into the kitchen last night, attracted by the light, and I managed to catch it in a glass. I was in the middle of eating, so couldn’t spend too long taking pictures before I let it go again outside. It was a lovely delicate pink and brown but refused to stay still for long.

I think I have now identified it as Phlogophora meticulosa or “angle shades”. These moths have such wonderful common names! Find out more on the UK moths or Butterfly Conservation websites.

Earlier in the day I saw this ladybird (ladybug) at the bus stop and took a picture with my phone. I saw some more of the insects nearby on a lime-tree leaf. I guess it’s time for the annual harlequin ladybird invasion.

The harlequin, Harmonia axyridis, was first spotted (no pun intended) in Britain in 2004 and has gradually spread north and west. Here’s an identification guide.

Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) and tiny grey insect at the bus stop, September 28, 2011

Can you see the teensy grey insect nearby? These were all over the metal frame of the bus stop, blending in well. Wonder what they are?

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Wildlife through the year: November

Whitebeam berries on a frosty morning in November 2010

Throughout 2010 I am revisiting the little green nature book that accompanied my childhood and trying to tick off the plants and animals featured in its monthly sketchbook pages. I’m enjoying the journey – only one month to go now…

The book is “Wild Life Through the Year” by Richard Morse and it was published in 1942. You can read about earlier months here.

November 2010 in South Wales has felt very much like a bridge between autumn and winter. There have been clear, sunny days starting with a frost, heavy rain, strong winds and at the end of the month we are in the middle of an Arctic snap with below-freezing temperatures – we even had snow on November 27 (see my pictures here).

Nearly all the autumn leaves have fallen by the end of the month, with

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