Flora & Fauna 6

Yellow Leaf in shady sunlight

The pale late afternoon sunlight just getting in here, under the canopy of leaves above these two majestic yellow leaves and giving us a soft texture and detail along with that almost paper-like quality of ‘feel’ of the main leaf here, as it sits quietly in almost complete shade at the end of another energetic day. So many different kinds of leaves, doing so much extraordinary energy and nutrient exchange, all of their living time - and looking so good doing it !

Bold strong sunlight through leaves

The sheer strength of this mid afternoon sunlight coursing through some leaves and causing big shadows on others, together with the few pinpricks of holes chinking white light at us in the central left leaf - along with the bold hues this light level everywhere allows us to see – caught my attention as I walked by and this is the result. The power of the light everywhere reminds us why folk in usually hot climes dress and house themselves to reduce the levels of light coming at them, to balance it all out and survive well within it all.

Green leaves turning yellow and bronze

This smallish tree on the edge of the forest proper catches lost of all day light and puts out these vibrant green and yellow leaves - some of them going to a pale burnt umber -making a happy landmark you can see from a ways away. Here, in the late afternoon of a cloudy day, the overall even shady light picks out detail and hues, and the mass of them all together, moving slightly in the small breeze, coagulating their wonderful colours in ways that bring smiles to hearts going past.

Old Bramble Leaves

The dark ochre and almost black hues here in the shade still have that lovely texture and detail these leaves seem to keep with them for not only the summers but well into their withers too. These are hardy things and when the sunlight shines through from the other side, take on that deep glowing red hue which looks like they’re lit up from the inside out ! Wonderful They have much subtlety in amongst their predominant hues also, see the tinged greens in there too. Their prolific vines actually keep extending themselves in length and pointing downwards to find new soil to burrow into and out of that spot will come yet more and new vines to go and do the same thing further on! Extraordinary ‘intelligence’

Russet Acer leaves in woodland

These striking russet Acer leaves light up the darker smudges of colour all around them and could almost be a small fire burning, by comparison.. The shape of their leaves is a delicate thing and the shock of their vibrant colours in a woodland area always gets noticed and draws folk

Yellow brown and ochre leaves in sunlight

The later afternoon sunlight very directional from the right hand side of the shot here and washing these leaves with a strength and a softness, all at the same time, revealing texture and some detail as well as the nice curl of them as they get ready to drop. The last leaves of this small ground cover tree for the summer now, and all these beautiful leaves on the turn now, soon to become good fertilizer in the soil below for next year. In the meantime, they give us beauty and joy - together with The Light, that is revealed through them.

Massed pale yellow leaves in shade

Lovely shapes and hues here, as the shade darkens everything down, their pale colours standout form the approaching gloom, for just a few more moments before it gets too dark. A soft top light from the cloudy remains of the light just dribbling down on the tops of the upper leaves and giving us just a bit of contrast and bounce. They’ll all look much more awake when the sunlight hits them tomorrow. They hang down, to the left and to the right, even more as the daylight disappears. No wasted energy here !

Wild grasses

These grasses always fascinate me because they keep a vibrancy about them all through the year pretty much and retain their lovely hues and as the breeze moves them - which it almost always is doing - they make constantly new wooshes of shapes in the air and seem very happy in that process. I like the idea of large murals of these things. They somehow represent much that is great about the way plants grow and survive so successfully when enabled to by the Humans around them.

Satiny Green leaves in deep shade

The luxurious satin burnish of these large deep green leaves in deep shade on the forest floor caught my attention as I was walking home for the day. I tried to leave the shot exactly as it appeared to my eyes and this is exactly how they loomed out of the shade. Each time I look again at these leaves I am awed by their beauty and the power of their presence. They make no apology nor seek anything - except a bit more light tomorrow!

Beautiful leaves in shady part of the forest

The many strong colours here, in the middle of an otherwise overcast part of the forest, is like a breath of fresh air when you come across it all. The soft afternoon light, coming in from above and behind these leaves, washes top down across all these different hues, bathing them in an evenness of light which allows us to see some texture as well as detail and the mass of attractive colourings as well as the overall architecture of the whole way this part of the edge of this tree arranges its’ branches and leaves so they all maximize the use of the limited light in here and can get on and benefit each part of each other all day. A wonderful testimony of a successful way of being which we Humans could choose to see value in and successfully adopt for how we live with and alongside each other and thereby share in the mutual benefit of these peaceful choices for all of our Communities & Individuals.

Vibrant green yellow and russet leaves in forest

This shady part of the forest is home to many small enclaves of leaves and flowers growing in slightly stronger light, like here. The mid afternoon light has a strength to it that gives us strong colours, some detail and a bit of texture here and there. It’s the massed colourings that draw your look when you see it ahead of you as you make your way through tangled masses of all sorts of debris, and it’s a great thing to come upon it. Like a breath of fresh air.

Beauty in the almost dark

The graceful shape this hanging branchlet makes in the air, with its’ leaves looking as good as any ballerina gracefully extending hands arms and torso, arching forward in appreciation of the lightness of the music. Here, their leaves arch and hang in appreciation of the light - their muse and eternal focus. And they look good doing it because Form and Function always go together in Nature. A holistic reality, in front of us all the time. The soft mid afternoon light giving us nice texture, detail and the many colourings these leaves go through.

Raindrop waiting to drop.

Look at all that brand new green growth out of that older dark brown stem - still glistening from the rain. Just extraordinary and somehow you can never witness that growth ! It just does it without seeming to ever really shift move or change. You find out by looking, as in this shot, when you can clearly see what’s grown, but it did it incrementally and without being seen - moment by moment, and we didn’t notice ! The raindrop is a transient visitor and will soon grow bullbous and drop. While it’s there though, we see another miracle in plain sight - a small portion of the light of the day, caught along the outside rim of the raindrop. Form and Function doing it’s thing again

Small leaves in the air

The individual curves and arched shapes these small leaves make as they do whatever they need to do to maximize the wash of all available light on every surface they can maneuver their way into, results in a beautifulness and loveliness. The soft patina of texture in the pale late afternoon sun blesses these small leaves with a little bit of highlight and enough evenness to clearly show off multicoloured hues and some texture within the detail. The dark darks of the background allow the leaves to stand out nicely. Always see if you can get a background that isolates and focuses attention and lighting on your subject - it makes all the power-difference to your shot which you need..

Wet bramble leaves in afternoon sunlight

The late afternoon light still quite strong and directional here, from the upper right hand side, bouncing off the wetness on the leaves and, seen at a slightly oblique angle, we get texture and detail, shape and overall architecture of where the leaves hang off their vine, and in the air, in relation to each other - bearing in mind the vine ‘decides’ where when and how often its; leaves appear along it’s voraciously strong stem. The deep ochre hues in these wet leaves really strengthen the colours and the side-on view gives us all of that lovely detail as well. A truly impressive plant - a bit like crocodiles in the animal kingdom viz., they’ve been here forever and have a winning formula that just gets repeated, and look at the results.

Winter branches against a winter sky

There’s a starkness to a winter woodland landscape which can seem bare till you breathe in and out and spend some peaceful time absorbing it all. These trees are as alive now as they ever were in summer. Resting and renewing each part of each twig getting ready to elongate each bit that will extend as much as it needs to to add the new spring growth so that even more nutrient and energy exchange can take place - looking good whilst doing it all. They look good to me as a silhouette, with the off-white amorphous winter cloudscape keeping us all honest.

Skeletons of summer as winter takes hold

These wispy architectural wonderments last well into winter and each one seems to have something different to say, with its’ individual shapes, so that seeing and shooting them never becomes anything other than yet more interesting. They are incredibly strong and have sharpish edges. Their seeds were very well provisioned so as to give the next generation the best start possible. Something we Humans can aspire to.

Late summer landscape

This lovely narrow walkway through two edges of shrub and tree growth has all the expectancy of an adventure when you see it from one end and walking through it, seeing so many specialized and weather-protected vines, flowers, shrubs and small plants, all along the edges of this long piece of land, confirms it was indeed an adventure - both in finding it and then slowly absorbing it all, as the late afternoon summer light fades away on the left of the shot, leaving a soft overall highish light level so everything here stays fresh and available to an enquiring eye and heart.

Brown and russet leaves caught in twigs

These great hues, on leaves fallen from their tree, as the gloaming takes hold and light levels plummet in this shaded part of the forest, has a kind of ‘other-worldly’ feel to it almost. The darks of the small branches and twigs, and the small amount top light coming in from the back of the shot to lighten up some paler surfaces edges, and the whole thing could be something out of a moody still from a film set lit to imply dark deeds are afoot ! Enough light coming through the left hand leaf to burn in some of the richness of that golden umber colour which I like so much. I hope U do too.

Collection of dead leaves in shrub twigs

The way these beautiful dead brown leaves collect in the upended and opened arms of the twigs of this lower part of a small tree makes it look like they're in a natural rubbish bin. I love the varied brown hues here as the vey late afternoon light is just still casting a pale evenness over everything, allowing us to see texture and detail as well as the overall architecture of this twig ‘basket’, where these leaves will stay for quite a while now till rain and wind pry or shake them loose.

Leaf dying on the stem

Just a bit further on, along the edge of the woodland lane from where the previous shot was to be found, I came across this single leaf curling and starting it’s journey to the forest floor and was awed by the texture and detail, the overall architecture of the whole thing - it’s like some amazing seashell or some unexpected ‘work of art’ (it’s definitely a ‘work’ of art). The same pale late afternoon light washing it with a softness which shows up the delicacy of its’ hues as well as highlighting the sheer robustness of the spines of this leaf (of all leaves really) as it moves through this part of its’ essential journey - becoming good fertilizer for the next generation and making way for that generation to have room to grow and take it’s place. Wonderful. Form and function in equal measure - again,

Brown leaves caught in twigs

And further along still, from the previous two shots, this smaller upended arrangement of twigs has caught a few more beautifully pale brown leaves on their way to the earth floor below. This pale late afternoon light really does cast a beautiful soft glow of evenness over everything, which is what gives these leaves their great texture and detail, and a subtlety of hue which seems to invest them with an almost not-quite-2D-effect but on their way to a 3D look. The darker and varied browns of the twigs echoing the paler browns of the leaves gives this whole shot a holistic completeness about its’ hues, which has a nice warmth about it.

Life-Giving Leaf dying

And further along still, this stunningly beautiful brown leaf just hanging regally in the air, giving us texture and detail in the overall soft light, as it makes its’ journey to the waiting earth below. I am always awed anew by the sheer strength inherent in the spines of these leaves, which you can see more clearly as they start their dying process and go into these wonderful curls. The almost paper-like quality of the leaf, as seen in this shot, makes it look as if it is insubstantial but the reality is it is anything but. The massive quantities of leaves doing this constant gas and nutrient exchange, so Humans can actually breath in and out 24/7, is exemplified in this one leaf, and the intricacy of its’ effective structures that make such work possible at all - and then if you multiply it all up you get a Planet that is built to sustain Human Life. Let us please Choose to Preserve and Protect this Extraordinary Gift we have all been Given - before it gets to be really too late to try,.

Single leaf dying on end of stem

Not often you see just one leaf hanging off the very end of just one stem. This unusual moment just caught softly in very late afternoon light - the gloaming already started really - and we get again, this beautiful texture and detail, and a last look at one of the most utterly essential agencies whereby you and I have been enabled to breath in and out successfully for all of our lives to this point. That alone is worth a celebration and a very real ’ Thank You’