Learning to look more closely

As will be clear, I enjoy walking and the sense of moving at a realistic pace through the landscape.  Often in the past the objective often has simply been to "go for a walk" for the sake of fresh air and a general appreciation of the lie of the land.  Photography is encouraging me to look both at the landscape and at the details rather more carefully, which become increasingly rewarding.  I have had a general interest in wild flowers for some time, but only now am I really appreciating them, along with the stirrings of wanting to find out more about lichen and fungi.  Birds are of great interest too, but being so mobile and quick, I have a fast growing regard and respect for people who photograph them.  As for insects, any pictures I get will have to be of particularly slow types or ones that don't mind getting close with the camera.   I am far from having the eye or the skill to catch fast moving subjects that are easily startled.

I suppose the reputation for fungi and lichens (also grasses and mosses) as being complicated and difficult has always put me off.  But so many fungi appeared last autumn that just cried out for a picture, and it always seems like a job less than half done to have a reasonable picture of something and not a clue what it is.  So there is a new found desire to try and start tackling the subjects.  At least there are plenty of on-line tools these days as well as books, and I am hoping to make some progress.

Some fungi and lichens are just so great to look at and attempt to photograph.  Their forms and colours are so varied.  It is also striking how the same group of fungi seen on walks a few days apart can look very different as they mature, which just adds to the complexity but also to the interest.

As far as wild flowers are concerned, new types are appearing in flower on almost a daily basis as the spring season unfolds.  But first there are some lichen pictures, all taken yesterday afternoon on a short walk locally.

The other three shots for this post were also taken yesterday, featuring plants and insects.   Plenty to see!  Must keep looking....

If, in future, my walking pace declines to a few hundred metres an hour and I start complain about those who are content to rush through the countryside at three miles an hour, then it probably started about here.  I can see that I am going to be torn between trying to accomplish a meaningful walk in terms of distance with the time to take in more of the detail along the way.