Black bryony

Black bryony (Tamus communis) with its red berries is shown here twining around the thorned stem of a dog rose. Black bryony is a common plant of hedgerows and woodland edges, and is the only British species of the largely tropical family Dioscoreaceae, which includes the yam.

It is a twining, climbing unassuming plant with shiny heart shaped leaves and inconspicuous greenish flowers. The leaves turn yellow and drop in the autumn, when the plant comes into its own, its bright red berries conspicuous on the naked stems. The berries are not edible and are said to cause vomiting if eaten. They consequently last through Autumn into Winter. Red berries are normally designed to attract birds and other animals to facilitate seed dispersal after being eaten and egested. This suggests there must be something that eats the bryony berries, albeit reluctantly and late in the year perhaps.

This wasn't an easy photograph to take and it is far from perfect. I wanted to get the berries back-lit by the rising sun. It was difficult to get all of the berries in focus without looking directly into the sun, so this was taken at a slight angle leaving some out of focus. Within a few minutes the sun was too bright and the background was burning out. So this was the best I could do.

Another fine day in Cumbria, with not a cloud in the sky, and T-shirt weather as we were working in the garden. I also have a photo of a beautiful red admiral butterfly visiting the late flowers of the brambles in our lane. Ivy flowers were buzzing with bees, wasps, and hoverflies. Our small swarm of bees is still active in the garden and there is a strong smell of honey coming from the little colony tucked under ivy and Clematis against the garden wall.