Ferns by the Water of Leith

It really felt like Spring today, mild weather at last! We walked along the Water of Leith, from Roseburn to the Modern Art Galleries. The birds were in full song, mallards were chasing each other as were the dippers. We also saw a tiny wren climbing around on one of the river walls, it would disappear into one hole and reappear from another, maybe it's got a cosy little nest cave in there (after all the wren's Latin name is Troglodytes troglodytes - which means cave dweller). We also had a very good view of a goldcrest, even smaller than the wren.

This is a fern we saw along the riverbank. I think it's a polypody of some sort, but my fern knowledge isn't what it used to be. (I did a project on ferns as part of my Botany degree, but have forgotten quite a lot of what I knew.).I should start relearning what I knew, the Ferns in Britain and Ireland website looks like a useful guide!

For Shadow Shot Sunday 

and something entirely unrelated, I recently entered the Writers Relief Literary Paws competition with a photo of me reading to our old rabbit Anya. You can vote for your favourite photo here!  

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