Taexalia

wild.life

Altered Tree

Just playing with an image I grabbed yesterday... experimenting with software... ... read more

Doorways, gateways, arches, wooden doors with big iron hinges and locks, caves, animal burrows and places where trees meet across a path... These can all be liminal spaces, places where a transition is made. I found a wonderful liminal space whilst walking at Lochore Meadows, Fife. As I ambled along the path and rounded a bend, I was taken with the vision of the natural archway that the Hawthorn and Scots Pine made, and the way they framed the Sycamore ... read more

Lone Pine Standing

This Lone Scots Pine stands overlooking the Firth of Forth near to where I live. I see it every day, a constant and consistent marker on the journey. Some days I don't really see it, or even acknowledge it's presence and other days, like today, I pause to look at it and take in it's stature. I wonder how this tree came to be growing here. It is the only Scots Pine in an area sprinkled with pockets and swathes of mixed deciduous ... read more

Recycling

Natural woodland needs dead wood as well as live. Dead trees provide food and shelter for many creatures, plants and fungi - who in turn provide food for other creatures.

A dead tree stump becomes a fanfare of colour as these Turkey Tails recycle the nutrients, they in turn migt feed a mouse or insect.

I think the Turkey Tail fungi echo the texture and pattern of ... read more

Ancient Trees of Fetternear

The treese cannot type, but they speak to us in other ways. These trees deserve to live and thrive and be part of our environment for as long as they choose to live.

Would you cut them ... read more

Battle on to save Red Squirrels

This is an actual Fetternear Red Squirrel

The Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is under threat. The two main culprits are habitat loss perpetuated by human development, and the spread of the non-native Grey Squirrel (stupidly imported from America in the 19th century).

Scotland now accounts for 75% of the UK Red Squirrel ... read more

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

I spent Wednesday afternoon tramping through the snow at Haddo House Country Park. It was a beautiful winter day with the sun low in the sky creating wonderful shadows and perfect lighting for some camera play. [caption id="attachment_487" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Robin redbreast"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_488" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Robin redbreast"][/caption] The robins were delightful and clearly used to people with corn in their pockets as they ... read more

Solstice Solace

I took refuge for a few days with my family and return with a bundle of stories and thoughts and a sense of feeling refreshed.My sister has a wonderful new home that is a pleasure to spend time in for a number of reasons, not least bosies and snuzzle time with my perfect nephew.One of the other luxuries of my sister's new home is the garden which is secluded, spacious, diverse and has the added bonus of a woodland estate behind it. You can imagine how I lap it up given my current situation... ... read more

Highlands and Islands In a Week part 5

The next morning we set out for Glen Affric hoping the weather would hold for our planned walk. We drove up the glen to the Forestry Commission carpark near Dog Falls. No sign of the Lord of the Forest from the previous evening but the scenery was as gorgeous.There are a choice of tracks to follow, most of which take you to the Falls - we decided on what seemed the longest one and set off.Around 5 paces onto the path I came across these wonderful roots and stopped to take some pictures. The ... read more

Highlands and Islands In a Week part 4

The downside of @ having to return to work was missing bosies but the upside was that I got to have two duvets on my bed at night. I slept with more warmth. Speaking of sleep, I am reminded of the tale @ told everyone at breakfast on the Monday morning...Apparently I was snoring like a kitten (must have been something to do with the clear mountain air!) and in the middle of a snore I whispered "that one that one that one and that one"... Much analysis took place over whether I was choosing new ... read more