Cream-Spot Ladybird

This tiny cream-spot ladybird (Calvia 14-guttata) landed on the rim of my mug of tea. It's slightly smaller than the more common seven-spot. After taking the photo I released it into the garden.

On a St Andrews Pavement

Sometimes you can find wild life in the most surprising places. Walking out of the car park in St Andrews I almost stumbled into a mallard with nine ducklings. After a perilous crossing of Argyll Street, managed to shepherd them onto a garden path off the pavement, with the help of a group of students on their way to lectures. Hopefully they will find their way into the Lade Braes.

Hazel Catkins in the Serpentine Walk

Hazel (Corylus avellana ) catkins, the lambs tails, in the Serpentine Walk. These are the male catkins which produce the  pollen.

These are the female flowers with the red styles and stigmas.The stigmas catch the pollen and eventually form the hazel nuts in the Autumn, however, the pollen has to be from another hazel tree.

There was a lot of lichen on the branches of the tree. The greenish yellow lichen is I think Xanthoria parietina but there are also some other species present.

Snowdrops at Cambo

Took advantage of the warm weather last week to visit the Snowdrop Festival at Cambo.

Snowdrops lined both sides of the path that leads to the beach.

A solitary clump of daffodils amongst the snowdrops.

The burn that flows down to the sea.

Frost!

 Ice crystals round the little waterfall between the two paths in the Serpentine Walk.

Frost at the side of the Kiel Burn in Lundin Links.

Oystercatchers at Shell Bay

Christmas Day walk to Shell Bay. Slightly misty but fairly mild. There was a large group of oystercatchers standing at the east end of the bay. We tried not to disturb them but as we approached they all took off.

Sunlight on the Forth

The sun shining through, between dark clouds, illuminates ships in the Forth.