Clever idea that produced some lovely photos - but that is NOT how you extract the opium !

Those colours are fantastic.

Great match of lens to building styles and super compositions.

I think you are Leamington Spa side? That makes the nearest ancient woodland Kenilworth Common, which is having a close squeek with HS2, which is using the old formation of the Coventry avoiding line. These photos were from a 'safe' bit on Stivechale Common, Coventry. Heaven help anyone daring to threaten that !

Thank you. That fly could have chosen to land on any of those clumps but it went right where I'd focused. I didn't even notice it when I took the picture.

There is something about a solitary oak tree and you have caught it here..

Wah ! Not fair !

That's a good point about the bright bits that I had not considered. Thank you.

This wet ought to have had the fungus growing I thought so I went for a walk in a bit of the old Forest of Arden.
1.



I don't know which fungus is killing the oaks but here, the entire trunk beneath the bark has been encircled by
ropey, black mycelium, from the ground to the crown - and down it eventually came.
2.


3.



This oak is also dead, infected by artists' conk brackets, so called because the white underside is a perfect
ground for drawing, carving, pyrography and what have you. It's as hard as the wood it's growing upon.
4.



Once the wood is on the ground, various sorts of fungi begin to break it down. One classic is this yellow
stags antler - whose image was enhanced by being photo bombed by a little flying insect!
5.



Another voracious consumer of dead wood is honey fungus
6.



And sitting in the moss of another fallen log were some attractive parasols (I don't know what sort).
7.



It has been a very good year for holly too, with lots and lots of bright red berries.
8.



All handheld (except No.1) with a K1 and an early, preset Takumar 1:1 macro lens. ISO varied from 200 -800
just to keep the shutter speed usable as it was a bit dim in there!

I tend to agree. Until the top was chopped off I disliked the bottom having been chopped off. Now it's chopped off at both ends it has become quite interesting and doesn't need the mddle bit chopping out.