Raindrops and Berries

The appearance of hundreds of berries in the hedgerows, points to the end of summer and the onset of Autumn. This year's crops of berries looks as if it's going to be a good one. The Rose Hips are looking glorious.

Full of vitamin C, these fruits have been used for thousands of years for their nutritional qualities. They can be made into jam, jelly, soup, syrup, pies, bread, wine and marmalade. So, they're versatile too.

Belonging to the same family as the roses, Pyracantha is another shrub which is full of fruit at this time.

Pyracantha berries can also be made into  jelly, but they are mildly poisonous if eaten raw and can result in gastro-intestinal troubles.

One berry which it is definitely best to avoid eating is that produced by the Black Bryony. Belonging to the Yam family, the fruits contain high levels of saponin and are quite poisonous. But the berries are rather attractive and unusually numerous at the moment.

We were lucky enough to have the sun shining on us this morning as we walked around Shipley Park and admired the Autumn berries. We were not quite so fortunate a few days ago when we got caught in a heavy shower and had to seek shelter under an old railway bridge. Fortunately, the shower was short-lived and from our dry vantage point, the splashes of raindrops in the muddy puddles, made for some rather 'arty' shots.

It's amazing what the camera will capture.

Just room for one more...