Each week the Scottish Snippets Newsletter includes a number of photographs which illustrate the flora and fauna of the current week around Scotland. On occasions, there are so many such graphics worth including that a separate "colour supplement" is created so as not to totally overload the Newsletter. Here is this week's crop!
On Wednesday of this week, the sun was not much in evidence (except in the north-east of the country) and this picture, across the water at Monikie Country Park in Angus, was taken because the sun was at least struggling to make an appearance.
Cormorants often spread their wings in this fashion - catching some warmth from a brief interlude of sun. This cormorant is one of an extended family that has taken up residence at Drumpellier Country Park where they compete (successfully, it seems) with the local anglers.
Diascea may have small, individual flowers, but coolectively they make a real splash of colour. These annuals are popular amomgst gardeners because of their very long flowering season. Planted as bedding plants in the spring, they flower right through until autumn. These ones were growing in the walled garden at Castle Fraser in Aberdeenshire.
There are not many butterflies flying around now, so it was a pleasant surprise to find quite a number enjoying the yellow flowers of the buddleja in the sunshine at Castle Fraser and to capture this illustration of two in the one picture.
In the colour supplement for 1st October, there was a picture of a Ruddy Duck, resplendent in its russet breeding plumage and blue beak. While some of these ducks still have a fair bit of colour, this one has already adopted a much more douce garb, which it will wear throughout the winter.
Gaillardia are more usually seen a red centre and yellow tips to the petals but this variety is an attarctive, all-over shade of burgundy. It was growing beside the other type in the walled garden at Castle Fraser in Aberdeenshire.
If butterflies are in short supply, the same cannot be said for bees and wasps who are still busily gather nectar. This pollen-covered bee is on a Helianthus ("Lemon Queen" variety) in the demonstration garden of Glendoick Garden Centre, between Perth and Dundee.
