Winter Doldrums

The winter months are a quiet time for the majority of macro photographers. The diversity of subject material is naturally less at this time of the year. Insect life is virtually nonexistent with only a few species to be found during the peak of the winter season.  Nevertheless, it is essential to get out whenever you can; there are always places and subjects to keep your enthusiasm alive.

Now that we have hopefully seen the worst of the winter snow, March is an excellent time to explore woodland for Scarlet Elf Cup fungi Sarcoscypha coccinea. They have a preference for shady areas which are damp and often retain water. This ascomycete fungus grows on dead and decaying twigs and branches. There is a river glen near my home which produces good numbers of this species every year from mid-February until well into March. Each year, I can’t resist visiting it adding more images to my already bulging files of this attractive species. I had a bonus this year of having snow on some of the branches which added an extra dimension to the photographs.

 

Nikon D850, 105mm micro nikkor, F/16, ISO 200, Tripod.

 

Nikon D850, 200mm micro nikkor, F/11, ISO 200, Tripod.

 

Nikon D850, 200mm micro nikkor, F/11, ISO 200, Tripod.