Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Winter Affordable Art Show at Cardiff M.A.D.E from Thursday 1st December 2016 - 12th February 2017

Cardiff M.A.D.E will hold their seasonal 'Winter Affordable Art Show' from Thursday 1st December 2016 to 31st January 2017.  (Extended to 12th February 2017)

Some of my winter-themed screen prints are shown during the exhibition period.  They will have also winter fayre with handmade craft by local artisans.  If you are around there, please pop in to see!





Monday, 28 November 2016

Sessile Oak and English Oak: British Native Plants

There are so many wild plants around us.  But there are native ones and non-native ones.  Non-native plants are also wonderful; they were brought in the UK some time ago (some species were hundreds years ago!), and simply naturalised in the wildness.

The native plants are thought to have grown naturally in the UK ever since after the ice age.  Britain has a variety of (from Woodland Trust website)




Sunday, 6 November 2016

November Calendar 2016: Dogwood

November: Dogwood

Meadow

Cornus sanguinea
Order: Cornales
Family: Cornaceae
Genus: Cornus

habitat: sunny hedgerows, scrubs
distribution: common in Wales and England





In November, leaves of most of deciduous trees turns yellow and red, and are falling on the ground. We see red patches in hedgerows.  This is dogwood, native to the UK, of which leaves are still on the stems and small navy blue (almost black) berries still not pecked by birds.

It blooms in early summer, and its white flowers are tiny and make a lot of clusters on the bush, a little bit similar to elder flower.

After all the leaves and berries are gone, the crimson red new twigs   comes out.  The striking colour brightens up the bare grey winter field.

There was frost this morning after the Guy Fawkes Night; the temperature dropped almost 0 Celsius.  All of sudden, the winter came very close.