Blackthorn flowers, in close-up. Five-petal white flowers, with multiple long stamen (longer than the petals), each stamen tipped with a bright yellow anther. In bright sunshine, the stamen cast shadows across the petals. White buds, not yet opened, on the same stem.

Blackthorn stem, smothered in small white flowers & buds, against a bright blue sky.

Not rare, especially in the fields & hedges near me, but I do love the first proper showing of the spring of blackthorn under a sunny sky.
#wildflowerhour
#HainaultForest

A group of people looking at the London Clay and superficial deposits around the Lake at Hainault Forest Park

The walking group at the meeting place outside the visitor centre at Hainault Forest Park.

Some photos from yesterday’s guided walk to Hainault Forest Park #londongeology #hainaultforest #walklondon

On walk today. I have never seen so many tadpoles!!

#walk #hainaultforest #nature #tadpoles

Owls and owl pellets guide The FSC Owls and owl pellets identification guide is both a field guide to adult owls and shows you how to investigate owl pellets.

Fascinating morning investigating owl pellets with Beth from #VisionRedbridge at #HainaultForest.
Who’d have known that @fieldstudiesc.bsky.social had a guide to the contents!

I managed to squeeze in a training #run earlier while my son was at a meet up with some future travelling companions. Thought I'd have an hour in #HainaultForest but lost 15 min trying to log in to my RingGo account. Idk if we'll ever have microchips but I'm 15 min closer to saying hell yeah now 😅🫠

2/5 #winter

Trees catch a low sun in #Hainault country park/ #Hainaultforest . This path is, I think, very close to the London Essex border and is part of the #Londonloop Not easy to get to by public transport, but worth it.
#Olympus EM1iii 12-100 f4

#photography
#landscape
#landscapephotography

Turkey oak cupule - the acorn cup covered in snake-like growths.

The medusa of #HainaultForest.
Actually, a turkey oak acorn cup.

Distant view from Beacon Hill, Hainault Forest County Park, of Canary Wharf and City of London on horizon. Scrubby fields leading to woodland, with buildings on the far blue horizon, and clouds in a bright sky overhead. There _was_ a skykark singing overhead, possibly in the frame.

Skylark over #HainaultForest
(Honest — you had to be there to hear him!)
Oh, #CanaryWharf and #CityOfLondon on the horizon.