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A. Shuttleworth Photography

Photography | Illustration | Procrastination

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SPRING BLOOM | Spring has arrived up North so I've been working on getting out of my head and back on the plant ID game!

Here's your #WorldWildlifeDay post. For the theme of Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet" here's a story about some giant trees. 🌳🌳

Welcome back to the woods for some more adventures in the snow. Cool how beech trees keep their autumn leaves through winter (which is called "macrescence").

SNOW BIRCHES. Obviously the recent flurries of snow have been luring me and my camera back to the woods. The cold weather might seem like it would be uncomfortable for all but the hardiest of trees, but it's also key to growth of new seedlings. The seeds of many European tree species (like field maple, rowan, and hornbeam) actually depend on exposure to at least one cold winter in order to germinate successfully in spring. So a bit of snow on the ground right now might be the secret ingredient to a new woodland understory in spring and summer.

WALLFLOWERS. I figured I'd make a return to posting on this profile for the first time in a while. I'm still working away on some projects while under lockdown but in the meantime here's some snowdrops to hint that a slightly more lively time for nature is on its way. It's been snowing almost every week up north so those other early signs of Spring that nature Instagram told me to look for haven't really arrived yet (where you at, hazel tree flowers?) but I guess it gives me more time to get back on the photography game.

Adventures in the woods, angsty days on the coast, nature shots, camera trap clips, and the moron behind it all (yes this is my editing face). It's been one hell of a year. Remember those first two months when we could go out and all squish into the same house or bar together? They were wild. All things considered the bits of the year when I wasn't accidentally on mute, negotiating an audio delay to have a conversation, or wondering how much rain is too much rain before meeting up with someone outside were very passable. See you all in 2021 when I promise to resume the nature content and give you all my hot takes on everything I watched on Netflix over the winter (I just found out Serena Williams is a massive Avatar: the Last Airbender fan and that makes me feel validated in a way I needed as we say goodbye to this year)

SNOOZE. Times are especially tough right now due to winter and new covid-restrictions, so here's a grey seal having a nap. That's it. That's the take. I don't have it in me to try and playfully subvert the wholesome aesthetic this Instagram profile has been built on this time, so just enjoy this dozing pinniped without subtext and have a break from the doom scroll. Also, stay safe everyone and have a merry christmas wherever you are and whatever situation you're in!

FOREST FLOOR. Today I'm back on the shrooms (😆), and back to crawling around in the undergrowth with my camera, because I wanted to capture one last bit of greenery this year. Luckily, there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) woodland near me that is carpeted in moss. Those little red stalks coming up from the moss here are actually called "sporophytes" which shoot upwards and release spores into the air that will germinate and form new moss plants wherever there is enough moisture to survive.

SPARROWHAWK. Sometimes you don't find nature, nature finds you (which is mighty convenient when you're working from home!) This morning a sparrowhawk flew into my garden to feast under the cherry laurel bush on the wood pigeon she had managed to take down. She had littered the plant bed with pigeon feathers by the time my housemate came back from shopping and managed to get a video of her exploring the garden (swipe through to see it). Luckily he let me know about our resident garden hawk and I grabbed my camera just before she flew off with the remains of her food.

Instagram

SPRING BLOOM | Spring has arrived up North so I've been working on getting out of my head and back on the plant ID game!

Here's your #WorldWildlifeDay post. For the theme of Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet" here's a story about some giant trees. 🌳🌳

Welcome back to the woods for some more adventures in the snow. Cool how beech trees keep their autumn leaves through winter (which is called "macrescence").

SNOW BIRCHES. Obviously the recent flurries of snow have been luring me and my camera back to the woods. The cold weather might seem like it would be uncomfortable for all but the hardiest of trees, but it's also key to growth of new seedlings. The seeds of many European tree species (like field maple, rowan, and hornbeam) actually depend on exposure to at least one cold winter in order to germinate successfully in spring. So a bit of snow on the ground right now might be the secret ingredient to a new woodland understory in spring and summer.

WALLFLOWERS. I figured I'd make a return to posting on this profile for the first time in a while. I'm still working away on some projects while under lockdown but in the meantime here's some snowdrops to hint that a slightly more lively time for nature is on its way. It's been snowing almost every week up north so those other early signs of Spring that nature Instagram told me to look for haven't really arrived yet (where you at, hazel tree flowers?) but I guess it gives me more time to get back on the photography game.

Adventures in the woods, angsty days on the coast, nature shots, camera trap clips, and the moron behind it all (yes this is my editing face). It's been one hell of a year. Remember those first two months when we could go out and all squish into the same house or bar together? They were wild. All things considered the bits of the year when I wasn't accidentally on mute, negotiating an audio delay to have a conversation, or wondering how much rain is too much rain before meeting up with someone outside were very passable. See you all in 2021 when I promise to resume the nature content and give you all my hot takes on everything I watched on Netflix over the winter (I just found out Serena Williams is a massive Avatar: the Last Airbender fan and that makes me feel validated in a way I needed as we say goodbye to this year)

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Facebook photography

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