watercolour

Common glasswort Salicornia europaea plant for Field Studies Council

Water primrose Ludwigia grandiflora showing submerged and emergent leaves.  For FSC.

Carline Thistle Carlina vulgaris showing straw coloured flowers

Bird’s-foot showing sprawling habit and small multi-coloured flowers

Flower showing spreading habit, pale lilac flowers and rounded leaves

Common stork’s bill Erodium Cicutarium showing long beaked seeds and numerous small flowers in each flowering head.

Two Little stint Calidris minuta in summer plumage on shoreline

Little stint Calidris minuta in summer plumage

Ripe lemon with pair of leaves, cut to white.

Alexanders Smyrnium olusatrum with Puccinia smyrnii rust on some leaves, and detail of one flower and one seed.

Close up of the lily flower, face on.  Cut to white.

Jersey orchid Anacamptis laxiflora close up showing the top of the flowering spike, with three flowers.

Deadly nightshade Atropa belladonna showing plant with flowers and berries.

Stand of Japanese knotweed Reynoutria japonica Fallopia japonica showing thicket of stems and foliage

Blue tit cut to white

Robin cut to white

Sprig of blossom of the wild cherry with early emergent leaves

Wood ant nest.  This nest belongs to the Southern red wood ant, Formica rufa.  Wood ant nests do differ between species, although it can be hard to tell them apart.

Nest and budded smaller nest of wood ant.  This budding often happens with wood ant species.

Mating during nuptial flight Formica rufa Southern Red wood ant queen and male

Worker caste of the Narrow headed ant Formica exsecta.  This species have curved backs to their heads.

Slender ant Leptothorax acervorum worker.  This ant is only 3mm, and although similar to the Shining Guest ant, has a darker and less smooth head.

Scottish wood ant Formica aquilonia worker. These ants are only modestly hairy.

Southern Red wood ant Formica rufa.  One of the most common species of European wood ant.