Twilight stars

Foul weather was forecast, and foul weather arrived! Chris and I went to Portholme to do our annual hay-meadow recording. We met the cane-setters on site and then quickly got down to work, hoping to beat the rain. Portholme is well-used by locals, and any canes in view of the main paths have a habit of disappearing, so we wanted to get those quadrats recorded as quickly as possible.

The weather held for the first nine, but then the rain set in and gradually got heavier and heavier. My recording forms rapidly turned to mush, and the rain seeped through our coats, but we manfully struggled on until we'd finished the most vulnerable fourteen quadrats. By the time we got back to the car we were soaked to the skin!

The rain continued for the rest of the afternoon, finally passing over just before dusk. I dashed out into the garden at nine o'clock, desperately seeking a blip in the dusk. I'd spotted the starry flowers of Allium christophii a day or two ago, but didn't think I'd end up taking them using a flash, and soaked with rain. I was pleasantly surprised by the result - perhaps more late night photography is in order!

Many thanks for all the comments and stars for yesterday's dragonfly. They really are such beautiful subjects and I never tire of photographing them, though I suspect there won't be any opportunities in the next day or so given the forecast of gales!