New and Natural ??

Dear and wonderful reader, welcome back to the innocent nook of LinkedIn where cute mosses and molluscs have recently taken over.

On Google Maps, this road is just a grey strip of little significance. On Snail Maps (by invite only), it's a vivid patchwork of moss parks.

Soft, soft tufts. Pointy capsules and whatnot. I actually covered mosses in the bryophyta topic of A-level biology... if you are curious (link here).

I imagine if Google added the moss park section to maps, a whole load of everything would turn green. Mosses are primordial plants preceding flowering plants. Their root-like structures are very shallow, so they end up on structures that look too inhospitable, and yet...

They not only make for a cosy snail spot, but also provide a surprising aerial space for spiders to... See for yourself!

There were actually two spiders, working in tandem to construct this elegant hairline over the moss capsules, hanging high above the stalks.

My collection of these subjects is rather large. I am playing with tighter selection of shots and edits, to bring the most successful images to the newsletter.

There are things which have not made it: slightly unfocused rose bulbs, leaves sprouting from the middle of a brick wall, tree leaf buds inching out in the evening darkness, and other blatant signs of spring.

Reflecting on the previous years with 70+ newsletter editions, it's clear that seasons have a loud say on the volume of subjects available. In summer I edit tens of takes, having to spread them over multiple editions. Conversely, winter means I wait longer to make it to just a single edition.

Someone tell LinkedIn's posting frequency how seasons work: it's not weekly, it's naturally.

Have a natural new spring of 2024! ??