Evening Light

Posted on March 17, 2014 by alvecotewood

Betty’s Wood on Misty Evening

Another great thing about spring is the light changes both direction and quality in the evening. The watery winter light is giving way to a much warmer spring light, and the angle is changing, which means that the light on our paths, across Betty’s Wood, and out of the woods is also changing, giving a new perspective on the landscape. In particular, the woods are now illuminated from the north west at dusk, and that makes it possible to take some lovely pictures in the glade and along our main path.

Trees and fields across the road from the woods

Reedmace

Barbed wire fence in evening light

Ditch at Dusk

Evening Light

Posted on November 22, 2013 by alvecotewood

Betty’s Wood in Evening light

There is something really special about evening light in the late autumn. The trees are in their rich colours, but still have their leaves. The light is warm, but is starting to have that watery quality that appears during the winter. When the sky is clear and the weather is cold, there is something luminous and beautiful about the scenery that is not seen at any other time of year.

In Betty’s Wood, we have a lot of young trees starting to really grow up and strut their stuff. Three years ago, they were just little 60cm whips. Today some are over 2 metres tall, and as well as beautiful autumn colours, they are also producing fruit and berries for the birds, and catkins for spring pollen. The lush pond vegetation is dying back, and the still cold air provides perfect reflections in the evening light.

Here are a few pictures of our beautiful woods in the autumn evening light, taken over the last couple of weeks.

Sunset over Betty’s Wood Ponds

Teasel at Sunset

Golden birch leaves

Betty’s Wood in Evening Light

Butterflies in the Evening Meadow

Posted on July 18, 2013 by alvecotewood

Small Skipper

The evening is so beautiful for photographing butterflies. The lighting provided by the evening sun is much warmer, and coming from a low angle, which provides many possibilities for beautiful colours, highlights, and contrasts. The butterflies are just that little bit less active, and as the temperature drops, they are seeking a place to roost among the flowers and grasses. We were in our meadow until quite late last night – almost 9pm – and managed to snap a few pictures of the delightful little butterflies that are currently present in large numbers. Last night we saw meadow brown, ringlet, small skipper, dingy skipper, large skipper, essex skipper, common blue, small tortoiseshell, large white, small white, speckled wood, comma, red admiral and purple hairstreak (the latter at the tops of the tree). It was just beautiful.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday’s visit to the woods.