Felicia Raindrops - November 2019

It was another bitterly cold morning for my photo shoot in dad's garden this week, but at least the skies were blue.

It had rained overnight, and most of the remaining flowers had a fine coating of raindrops that were sparkling in the sunshine.

My first find of the day was a rather surprising one. The Felicia (Felicia amelloides) had pretty much given up flowering weeks ago, but quite a few buds had survived the early autumn frosts, and were now beginning to open.

Ragwort Raindrops - November 2019

Similarly, there were a few remaining Ragwort (Senecio) blooms that were still providing pollen for a few of the more hardy insects.

River Lily Raindrops - November 2019

Last week I said that it would probably be the final time I'd be able to photograph the River Lily (Hesperantha coccinea) blooms, but a few remaining buds had opened to reveal their beauty for one final time this year.

Devoid Dahlia - November 2019

Unfortunately, the Dahlias were no more. A combination of wind, rain and frost had taken the last of their petals, leaving them with only their seed capsules.

Redshank - November 2019

This little weed is called Redshank (Persicaria maculosa) and it's a very persistent plant. I've thought I'd removed it for good on several occasions over the last few years, yet it somehow manages to keep returning.

Oxeye Decay - November 2019

The Oxeye Daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) were looking a little worse for wear and had fared badly against the recent cold nights.

Flaming Buds - November 2019

However, new flower buds were appearing on some plants, including these on the Forest Flame (Pieris) bush.

Crocosmia Capsules - November 2019

The Crocosmia (Crocosmia curtonus) flowers had long since disappeared, and now the seed pods were finally opening.

Tiny Starburst - November 2019

As there were plenty of raindrops around, I couldn't resist taking a few shots, trying to capture starbursts within the droplets.

Ripening - November 2019

There were still some berries ripening on the Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) bushes, and they were looking particularly nice against the blue sky.

Cotoneaster Reds - November 2019

Meanwhile the Cotoneaster bush berries were looking their best in the sunshine, and would soon be gobbled up by one or another hungry creature.

Hungry Blackbird - November 2019

The Pyracantha bushes were now almost devoid of berries, being a definite favourite of the Blackbirds (Turdus merula).

So this week I went with Felicia Raindrops as my Image of the Week simply because it was nice to see the little blue daisies returning...